Continuum
by mayghaen17
Summary: After a miscalculation during the escape from Fiendfyre, Hermione and Draco find themselves transported to the past. Together, they must figure out what they were fated to accomplish before they can return home. As Hermione learns what must be done, she is reminded that nothing in life is ever free. She just isn't sure she can afford the Dark Lord's price.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there dear reader! Welcome! A few things before you continue on with this one: 1) Dramione will be endgame. 2) There will be both Dramione and Tomione (LOTS OF TOMIONE) in this. 3) There will be a lot of darkness and triggers abound 4) I am reserving the right not to put TW's on anything going forward. I am not a fan of them, as I think they are spoilers. So if you decide to continue, you do so at your own risk.**

**Fancast for Tom Riddle is Tom Hughes**

* * *

**ONE**

_**Friday, 1 May 1998**_

Hermione could see the terror in Malfoy's eyes as Harry asked him why he didn't turn them in at the Manor. Then Goyle leaned in and whispered something in his ear and Hermione surged forward. Her spell knocked Zabini's wand from his hand. A few more spells flew through the air. The Diadem went flying and the Slytherin's scattered.

"That's my girlfriend!" Ron screamed as he ran after them.

Hermione followed Harry up the stack the Diadem had landed in. Cornish Pixies snapped at them as they disturbed their hiding place. Near the top of the pile, Harry dug between the cushions of an abandoned couch and laughed with relief. "Got it!"

She smiled and they made their way down. The relief was short lived as Ron's screams filled the air. "Goyle's set the whole bloody place on fire!" he shouted as he grabbed Hermione and pulled her away.

She looked over her shoulder and squinted against the bright wave of orange flames hot on their heels. Fiendfyre. Dangerous and unpredictable. Hard to cast. Impossible to control. They had to get out.

One foot in front of the other. Keep running. Her lungs burned with exertion and she coughed from the acrid smoke in the air. Every time they turned a corner they were greeted with hellish flames. They came to a halt as a scream pierced the air.

Harry waved his wand to ward off a flame. Ron fell to the ground. When he got up, he was shoving a broom at her. She held it in her hands. There was no time for fear. She mounted it and rose up as high as she could.

"This way!" Ron yelled over the roar of the flames.

They zipped above the fire; exit in sight.

Harry zoomed ahead of them, but turned his head back as they flew over Zabini and Malfoy. Goyle no longer in sight. _Must have been the scream_, she thought. Her stomach flipped.

"We can't leave them!" Harry shouted.

"The hell we can't!" Ron argued. "If I die saving them, I'll kill you Harry!" he stated as they circled back.

Harry was first, but his hand missed Malfoy's. He began to circle back immediately. Hermione was right behind him. Her hand connected with his and she hoisted him with all of her might. He scrambled behind her on the broom and it dipped from the shift in balance. His arms wrapped around her waist and she surged forward. She couldn't look back to see if they got Zabini.

The flames reared up. Her hand lifted to clear a path. The sudden movement left her unsteady and the broom toppled. Hermione let out a scream as she plummeted to the ground. Her head bounced off the ground and she saw Malfoy's shoulder take the brunt of his fall. She brought her arms over her head as the flames descended. The pain in her arm tore a scream most foul from her throat.

She felt herself being lifted up. The tears clouded her vision. The pain was fogging her mind. "Granger, move!" Malfoy hissed.

Her adrenaline surged once more. Her feet were unsteady, but they moved forward. Malfoy's hand on her bicep steered her forward. She heard the groan of a door. The flames were hot on her back. She cried out as she was pushed forward. More pain from the rough wall she bounced off of.

Her eyes opened; flames engulfing her vision. She screamed again. Malfoy's body crashed up against hers as the flames slammed the door shut with a bang. The darkness beckoned and she succumbed without a fight.

* * *

_**Monday, 1 September 1944**_

Heat. Flames. Screams. Pain. Darkness.

Hermione's eyes opened immediately; a scream dying on her lips. She was only still for a moment before she fought the sheets wrapped around in her attempt to get up. Her mind fogged and her body ached. When she moved her left arm, she cried out in pain.

"Don't move, Granger, you'll-"

Malfoy emerged from the shadows and Hermione lashed out. Her right hand balled into a fist and connected with his face. She threw her body weight into it, causing her to nearly topple off the bed. Her satisfaction was cut short as pain made her scream again.

"Fuck, Granger! Why are you always punching?"

"Fuck you, Malfoy!" she snarled.

He kept one hand up near his face to catch the blood that leaked from his nose while the other he held up in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know."

"Malfoy-" her voice broke as she thought of Harry and Ron perishing in the flames.

"Granger, I need you to shut the fuck up for a minute and listen to me!" His tone was urgent enough that she snapped her mouth shut and glared at her.

"I don't know what happened to them because they're not here with us."

"Where-"

"Granger." There was warning in his tone. He tilted his head back to ebb the bleeding. "The broom went down. As happy as I am to see you fail at something, I wish it wasn't something our lives depended on," his voice haughty. "We went down when you cleared that path. The fire grazed you. I pulled you up. There was a door. I pulled us into it and we both blacked out. When I came to, we were here."

She looked around, forcing herself to focus on the details. "We're in the infirmary at Hogwarts."

"Yes."

Her eyes went wide. "Voldemort-"

He winced and waved his hand. "There's no battle, Granger. Nothing. I came to first. Everyone was standing over us. We're in Hogwarts, but it's… We…"

"Spit it out!" she hissed.

"I don't know what the fuck happened, but we're in Hogwarts. It's not 1998 anymore; it's September First, 1944."

There were voices coming from down the hall accompanied by the echoing footsteps.

"They probably heard your screams. I told them we were transfers. I'm Draco Malory and you're Harmony Granger. We're from Durmstrang."

Three adults walked into the room then. Hermione sucked in a breath and Malfoy went even paler than she thought possible. Dumbledore. Alive. Here in this room. Her heart broke and she cried again. The other man she recognized as well, but the pain kept her from recalling a name. The woman she didn't know.

"What happened?" the woman asked, looking from Malfoy to her.

"She was having a nightmare and I tried to calm her," he said, his eyes never leaving Dumbledore.

"She has spectacular aim," Dumbledore said, giving her a secret smile. It only created a new wave of tears. "I'll tend to Mister Malory, Gwendolyn," he said, gesturing for Malfoy to follow him.

Hermione lost sight of him as the other two adults approached her bedside. "I'm Gwendolyn Perth, the Matron of Hogwarts. This is Headmaster Dippet. I'm so sorry your arrival to Hogwarts was not a pleasant one. That's a right nasty burn you have." She gathered various pots and vials from the side table and started giving Hermione sips of this and that before removing the bandages on her arm. "What happened?"

"We Apparated."

"You cannot Apparate to Hogwarts grounds," Dippet said lightly. "I don't recall seeing a notice of any transfers. Had we known, we would have been able to tell you that ahead of time." He tipped his head to the side. "Then again, it could be all my fault. I'm terrible at organizing my things. I'm surprised you even got through the wards. You both must be very powerful."

Hermione's retort turned into a hiss as a salve touched her burned flesh. As she glanced down at her arm, she almost smiled. The burn had singed off the unsightly slur from her skin. With any luck, her flesh would heal and she would be free of it forever.

Who knew one could be so thankful for Fiendfyre?

"A mistake for all of us," she said.

"Durmstrang you say?" he asked, most likely due to their very Brittish accents. They're voices were nothing like a student who would attend such a school.

"We were born in England. Our parents run a business together and an opportunity opened just before we were to start school. They moved back here last April and we decided at the last minute we wanted our last year to be where our parents graduated from."

"So you're both Seventh Years?" Perth questioned.

Hermione nodded and relaxed against the bed as the salve began to soothe her. The potions were kicking in as well leaving her feeling listless. The pain ebbed to a dull ache.

"We should let them rest for the night. Term officially starts tomorrow. We'll be by first thing and if you're healed enough we can get you set up with your schedules and sort you into your houses," Dippet said. "Rest up, Miss Granger."

She nodded and they left her to move on to Malfoy. He repeated his statement to her rival and then all three adults left them. Malfoy slid out of his bed and came over to her again, this time keeping himself out of her reach.

"You broke my nose again, Granger."

"Good," she muttered, straining to keep her eyes open.

"What did you tell them?" he asked. She relayed the story, hoping her words didn't slur together too much. "Easy enough."

She lifted her right hand to her face and wiped at the tears that burned their way down her cheeks. She refused to lose control in front of Malfoy, but her resolve was fading quickly.

"I don't know what happened exactly, but if I know one thing, Granger, it's that Potter and Weasley made it out. They always do."

_Because I'm with them!_ she wanted to shout.

Instead, she broke down into choking sobs and turned away from him to shield herself. He only stood there for a few more moments before turning away. He drew the curtain around her bed to give her a semblance of privacy and retreated back to his bed. It was going to be a long night for both of them.

* * *

_**Tuesday, 2 September 1944**_

The House Elves had brought their breakfast to them the moment Madam Perth had declared them both fully healed. Hermione was grateful that the fire had burned off the slur from her arm. The skin was intact; not a trace of that cursed blade to be found.

They ate in silence. She wracked her brain as she tried to recall all she knew about Hogwarts. She had practically memorized Hogwarts: A History, but too much had happened. Her brain was still foggy. She knew there was some significance to knowing the year was 1944, but she couldn't place it.

A girl about their age came to collect them when their breakfast was finished. "I'm Claudia Sinclair, Head Girl. Hufflepuff." She was all smiles as she greeted them. "Transfers are so rare! I'm more than happy to give you a tour if you need one. Do you know much about the Houses here?"

It was all she could not to rush ahead to the Headmaster's office and she could tell from the scowl on Malfoy's face that he felt the same way. She rubbed at her temples; the girl's hyper mood was causing her migraine to worsen.

They stopped at the statue and the girl knocked by tapping her wand on the center thrice. The statue moved and revealed the spiral stairs. Hermione hesitated. She knew Dumbledore wasn't the Headmaster, but it still was surreal to step foot inside knowing he wouldn't be there.

Dippet wasn't alone as she had expected. There was another man sitting in front of the desk. Both rose as the three of them entered. "This is Apollyon Pringle, our caretaker here. He'll show you to your respective dorms after you're sorted. Thank you, Miss Sinclair, I'll send for you later."

"My pleasure, Headmaster!" she said and then nodded to the caretaker. "Pringle."

"Please, take a seat," Dippet said, transfiguring a third chair out of a random object on the ground. "Your transcripts must have been in your trunks. Those must have been lost in your attempt to Apparate onto the grounds. You'll spend the day getting a tour and acquainted with the school. Once sorted, your heads of house will help you get materials needed for class. We can also set you up with spare robes immediately. This weekend you may go to Hogsmeade to purchase more clothes. It's a small village below the castle. You'll like it."

"Thank you, Sir," Hermione said.

"You can owl your parents or Durmstrang for your transcripts later. Shall we pick your classes?"

They both nodded curtly and spent the next half hour making a schedule. Hermione only took the bare minimum and noticed that Malfoy did the same. That would give them plenty of spare time to figure out a way back. When they were done, Pringle went to retrieve the sorting hat. "It seems you have similar interests. I believe your schedules are almost the same."

"Always have been," Hermione said quickly, giving a light smile.

He smiled back and then took the hat from Pringle. He moved to stand beside Malfoy first. "I'm not familiar with how they sort houses at Durmstrang, but here the hat does it. Once it sits upon your head, it will determine your most prominent traits and set you into your house accordingly. Mister Malory will go first."

Hermione recalled their First Year when the hat didn't even touch Malfoy's head before it screamed Slytherin. She was surprised as the hat seemed to linger a moment before announcing, "Slytherin."

They glanced at each other, neither surprised by the placement.

"A fine house," Dippet said as he lifted the hat and moved to Hermione. "Miss Granger."

The hat rested upon her head and she flashed back to her own sorting. She found herself torn. As much as she disliked Malfoy, it would be better to stick with him than be separated, but she didn't want to be in Slytherin. Not that the House itself was evil, the name just wasn't synonymous with trust and good fortune for her.

_Your mind is even brighter than the last!_ the hat thundered in her mind. _Smart; very smart. You would do Rowena proud. But there is a fiery courage akin to Godric himself!_

_Not Slytherin, _she whispered. _Ravenclaw would be best for me_.

_Yet there is true power in your blood. Even Salazar would be intrigued by the raw power you possess._

_Not Slytherin!_ She was desperate; repeating the phrase like a mantra.

_So many choices. You are truly one of a kind. _"Slytherin!"

Malfoy's eyes were wide again as he stared at her while she could do nothing but blink owlishly at him. "How fortunate the two of you would be sorted into the same house!" Dippet mused, giving them both a smile as he handed the hat back to Pringle who in turn placed it back on the shelf. He looked between the two of them and smiled. "I believe you both should do well there."

"Thank you," they said in unison.

He nodded at them. "I'll make adjustments to the dorms and I'll have either the Head Boy or your prefects show you to them when they're ready. Pringle, please escort them to the dungeons."

They followed the caretaker silently. He was a nice change of pace from Filch. He pointed out things on their way to the dungeons, but neither of them was listening. When they approached the bare stone wall that was the entrance of the common room, Pringle said the password that revealed the passage. Mandrake Root.

"This is the common room," he said once they stepped in.

Hermione felt the hairs at the back of her neck raise. She chalked it up to the fact that she was out of place. It was nothing like the Gryffindor common room. Here there was stone and cold instead of the various tapestries and warmth. The fireplaces gave off a dull green hue and the water from the Black Lake above them threw strange shadows on the walls.

"Boys dorms are to the left, girls to the right. Seventh Years usually share four to a room, but I'm sure you'll find yourself in a room of five. I won't know which room until Headmaster makes the adjustments."

"Are these the transfers?"

Hermione went rigid and a slow shudder crawled up her spine. Another student came into view and it was clear that it was his presence that caused her unease; not the room. He looked familiar and when his eyes slid over her from head to toe, she felt the bile rise in her throat.

"Both of them made it into Slytherin," Pringle announced

"Welcome home," the student said, his eyes boring into hers. "I would be happy to give them the tour, Pringle."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, your duties are far too important."

He smiled and then nodded at the trio. "Welcome to Hogwarts, young ones. See you later, Tom."

Tom.

Hermione swallowed; her throat tight. The important thing that eluded her memory was coming back to her. It was right beneath the surface, yet kept slipping out of reach.

He reached a hand out to them, ready for whoever would grasp it first. Malfoy did and they shook hands. "Draco Malory. This is Harmony Granger. We're from Durmstrang."

His eyes darkened. "How delightful."

Malfoy's hand dropped and Hermione stretched her arm out as her politeness superseded her desire not to touch him. Instead of a hand shake, he brought her hand upwards to his lips.

"And you are?" Malfoy asked.

"Forgive me. I'm your Head Boy. Tom Riddle. Pleasure to meet you both."

Malfoy stiffened tenfold at her side and Hermione thought she might spew vomit all over the stone floor. It was all she could do not to yank her arm back and curse him where he stood. His eyes flickered towards Malfoy when he stepped in front of her protectively, forcing Riddle to drop her hand.

Her head spun. She didn't know which was worse. Malfoy coming to her rescue or Voldemort's lips on her hand in greeting.

"Shall we proceed with the tour? I've already had my class for the morning so I'll be free until this afternoon. It is a rather large castle, but we'll have plenty of time to see what you need before lunch even. May I see your schedules?"

Malfoy handed his over first and then took Hermione's when she produced it.

"Perfect, we share the same taste in subjects. It seems the three of us have almost identical schedules. Though it looks like it's just you and I for Astronomy, Miss Granger. This should be a very quick tour. Follow me."

Never in her life had Hermione ever thought she would be so grateful to Malfoy's presence. Out of fear, she reached for his hand as if he were Ron or Harry. She nearly wept in gratitude as he not only let her lace their fingers together, but squeezed her hand as if he needed her touch as much as she needed his in that moment. He looked at her and she knew whatever their differences were, they both shared a common fear.

She inclined her head to let him know she returned his sentiment. For all his faults, including the Dark Mark beneath his sleeve, she knew that he was just as out of place and scared as she was. They were in this together; like it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

_**Tuesday, 2 September 1944**_

The moment they were free of Riddle, Draco nearly dragged Granger with him to the Room of Requirement. He didn't want to go back there, but they needed somewhere that guaranteed them privacy. They both hesitated before stepping through the door, but hurried through it together once they committed.

He began to pace, his hand raking through his hair hard enough he was sure to lose some. He muttered curse after curse under his breath, stopping when he noticed Granger sink to the floor. She made herself small as she drew her knees to her chest. She put her head between her knees and began to rock back and forth; the sounds of her sobs filling the room.

"We need to get the fuck out of here."

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, but sent her into a frenzy of another kind. He was not expecting it and it took him a minute to react. She was clawing at the back of her hand where Riddle had kissed her in greeting. It wasn't until her blood splattered on the floor that he sank to his knees in front of her.

He took her hands in his and held them firmly. "Granger!" he snapped, hoping to get her to focus. Her eyes rose to meet his and he saw them dilate in pure fear. An image of her screaming on his drawing room floor flashed in his mind and he knew that if that hadn't brought about this level of terror, they were fucked.

Her blood ran down his palm and dripped onto her borrowed robes. He held on tighter when her hand started to slip. He watched as she chewed her bottom lip. He considered slapping her to bring her back, but didn't want his nose broken a third time.

"Now is not the time to lose it, Granger. I need that brain of yours if we have any chance of getting out of here."

Her eyes went wide and he saw the moment she came back to reality. He also felt it as she yanked her hands from his and pushed him back hard enough he bruised his backside. "Get off me!"

"Then snap the fuck out of it," he returned, wiping her blood on his robes.

She propped her elbows on her knees and put her forearms over her ears. He watched as she began to laugh. The hysteria bubbled out of her like a hurricane, filling the room in the place of her sobs from earlier. For a moment it reminded him of his aunt and he shuddered at the thought.

"Just my luck. I'm stuck in the past with a mad man and a pompous ass. Both of which think I'm no better than the dirt beneath their shoe." She scrambled to her feet and rubbed her hands on her robes as he had just done.

"As if my first choice was an insufferable, know-it-all swot like you."

The menace in her gaze was enough to make him take a step back. He was seeing all sorts of sides of Granger he didn't know she had. This was definitely one he didn't like. As if he needed a reminder she was stronger.

Her hands balled into fists and she took a step towards him. He had to force himself not to cower any further. "You don't understand, Malfoy! This is _Voldemort!_"

His lips curled into a snarl and he surged forward, his face inches from hers. "I'm pretty sure I do understand, Granger! That maniac was living in my house for over a year. He tortured people in front of me. People I cared about, strangers; anyone he wanted. He _killed_-" He shook his head as he choked on his words. "I fear him as much as you do."

"At least you're a Pureblood!" she spat. "I'm sure he'll be offering you a spot in his precious inner circle by the end of the week!" She gestured towards his left arm. "Won't he be over the moon when he sees you're already marked! You'll be his favorite."

Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment as he lunged. She grunted from the force of which he pinned her against the door. His forearm was pressed against her throat and she clawed at him. "You don't know a damn thing, Granger!"

She blasted him with her magic. He reeled back, knocking a few things over as he caught himself before falling. She had fallen to her knees as her hands touched her throat. She was breathing hard, seething at him for a moment before pushing herself to her feet.

His anger subsided as he watched the way her hand trembled when it touched her throat again. He looked at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry."

When he lifted his eyes to her, she held his gaze and then nodded.

"This isn't the Dark Lord. Not yet. This is still Tom Riddle."

"No," she said, her voice hoarse. Shame made him want to vomit. "He already created one Horcrux for sure. He called himself Voldemort in the Diary. He might have already created another. I can't…" she shook her head as if trying to think. She gave pause to her pacing and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the ring. Last year he created a second."

"Horcrux?" He had heard the term before. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had. The word hadn't turned up in any search.

She nodded again, but didn't elaborate. He didn't push the issue despite the fact that he was immensely curious. "He's a Head Boy so he's a Seventh Year," she began to pace as the facts tumbled from her lips in rapid succession. "He's already opened the Chamber of Secrets. The Basilisk is still alive. Myrtle died. Hagrid-" She stopped dead in her tracks. Her excitement at the giant's name dwindled when she looked at him. She quickly averted her gaze and continued. "Hagrid's been expelled. He might already be Groundskeeper."

She muttered to herself in a volume Draco could no longer hear and he didn't dare move forward.

"At least Dumbledore's here. I wish McGonagall was here."

At the mention of Dumbledore's name, Malfoy leaned against the pile of clutter to keep himself upright. When he had walked into the infirmary the night before, Draco almost fainted.

"I know you didn't kill him," she said, pulling him from his thoughts."

"What?"

"That night at the Astronomy Tower." She blinked back a few tears, but met his gaze evenly. "You were tasked to it, but it was Snape."

"H-how?"

"Harry…"

At the mention of her friend's name, she started crying again. At least this time she managed to not go into a full-on sob.

"We need to get out of here. I should have told Dippet I was a half-blood at least."

"I won't let him hurt you."

She stepped back as if he'd physically pushed her.

Her lip curled into a sneer. "You are the lesser of two evils, but you'll excuse me if I don't believe for one second that you would ever stick your neck out for some lowly Mudblood."

He winced at the ferocity of her voice. He dropped his gaze and unfurled his fists.

"You can stick up for yourself and fit right in like you always do." She sucked in a breath and squared her shoulders. "I can handle him."

He looked up and found himself admiring the strength in her stance. He dismissed the notion quickly. "I know you can, but you don't have to do it alone." Her lips parted to yell at him again, but he took a step forward and rushed on. "I've seen your blood, Granger. I watched it pour from your arm on my drawing room floor."

She looked away and put a hand on her left arm even though the slur was gone.

"All my life I was told that Muggle-borns were dirty; that their blood was mud. Well, they lied. Your blood is just as red as mine. I was up close and personal with it when they made me scrub it from the floor like a Muggle."

He closed his eyes against the onslaught of those memories. He wiped his hands on his robes again and shook them from his mind.

"Hate me all you want, Granger. I deserve it. But while we're stuck here in the past with Tom fucking Riddle, can we please just put everything aside? We'll never get home if we don't work together."

She didn't answer right away and he had been in enough lessons with her over the years to know the face she was making meant she was formulating a plan. He grit his teeth knowing full well he wasn't going to like it.

"We had to come here; to this year for a reason."

"It was either this or Fiendfyre."

She shook her head. "What if we can stop him? We can work together and take him out before he leaves Hogwarts. The Diary is in the Chamber of Secrets. I've heard Harry and Ron say the word; I can get us in."

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"Did _you _hear me?"

"I heard some mad ravings of a lunatic," he fired, his anger flaring anew. It was maddening how she could bring such ire to him. "We can't do that, Granger. It would alter the future; everything we know would disappear. Merlin forbid something viler than the Dark Lord rises! We might not even come to exist just by being here."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

He ran a hand over his face. "And here I thought you were the brains of the Golden Trio," he muttered.

She bristled after a moment, relaxed her stance a bit. "Fine."

She raised her wand and he flinched as something whizzed past his ear. He watched she flipped through the books as they appeared. She kept waving her wand for a new one when she discarded the previous one. She kept it up until she had two. A red and a black leather. She tapped them with her wand and uttered a spell he wasn't familiar with. She handed him the black one.

He took it from her and opened it, frowning at the empty pages. "What the hell is this?"

"Inspired by the Diary," she said. "The books are linked. You can write in it and whatever you put down I'll be able to see in mine. Your message will stay until I see it and vice versa. Once I see it, it will disappear."

"Or we could just stay here. We can step out, rethink the room we require, and camp out. We can sneak into the library at night and the House Elves can bring us food."

She considered it for a moment, but then shook her head.

He narrowed his eyes at her and then smirked. "You don't want to miss lessons."

She glared at him and then gave a puff of annoyance. "I spent all of Seventh Year on the run! I didn't even get to take my NEWTS…"

"Merlin, help me," he muttered as he rubbed his chin.

She froze and rubbed the back of her hand, bringing fresh blood to the surface. "I'm going to be alone with him for Astronomy." The fear was back in her voice.

"We can talk to Dippet. You can either drop it, or I'll switch my schedule to match yours." He was before her again. He gingerly grasped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up. When their gazes met, he spoke. "I promise you, Granger; he'll never hurt you. Not on my watch."

He knew she didn't trust him. He didn't blame her; he'd never given her any reason to. He didn't even trust himself; he wasn't anyone's hero. He was just a coward. He couldn't kill Dumbledore; couldn't save her from his aunt. All he could do was run and hide.

But if he did that this time, they would both die.

"Okay."

He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. He glanced at her hand. "We should go to Madam Perth."

"No need." She brought her wand out and whispered, "Episkey," she said and turned towards the door. There was no use in waiting for the inevitable. They had to get back to the dungeons before dinner to get their dorm assignments.

"I'm sorry, Granger," he said in a low voice, causing her pause. "For everything."

"I'm only forgetting everything for the time being, but I'm not forgiving you."

He nodded and scolded himself for thinking she would accept his apology. He was only glad she didn't apologize. It would be something she'd do. He followed her out of the room once the coast was clear and they made their way to the dungeons in silence.

They both braced themselves when they entered the common room, but it was bursting with activity. It was still unnerving to see Riddle make his way over to them. It was downright disturbing when he saw the way his eyes raked over Granger. He stepped closer to her, resisting the urge to display outright dominance by reaching for her hand.

"There you are. I hope neither of you lost your way."

"No, the castle isn't too hard to navigate," he answered, earning a flicker from Riddle before he fixed his gaze on Hermione again.

"Dippet has your dorm assignments. They had a little trouble with space, but they made it work. Mister Malory, follow me."

Draco exchanged a worried glance with Granger.

"Rules are rules," he drawled. "I'm afraid neither of the opposite sex allowed in the opposite dorms. I'll be right back to show you your room."

They both stilled at that. "I thought you just said-" Granger started.

"I'm Head Boy. That rule doesn't apply to myself, the Head Girl, or the Prefects. No need to worry, we'll be right back."

"You're the transfers?" a new voice interrupted. The girl had raven black hair in a solid plait tossed over her shoulder and charcoal eyes. "I'm Kalista, Sixth Year Prefect. I can show you your room," she offered.

"That would be lovely," Granger breathed. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you Kalista," Riddle said.

Malfoy didn't miss the darkness in his voice. "I'll meet you here in a minute," he assured her. She nodded and they parted ways. He would rather endure Riddle alone than ever see him alone with her.

"Typically you would be put with the other Seventh Years, but as I said, space was a little tight. As Head Boy I'm entitled to my own room, but when Dippet asked, I consented. It'll be just the two of us."

Draco swallowed over the lump in his throat as Riddle held the door to their room open for him. "That was kind of you," he bit out. "Thank you."

The moment the door closed, Draco felt the panic creep in. They needed to get the hell out of here as fast as they could.


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

_**Tuesday, 2 September 1944**_

The hallway leading towards the girls' dorms were just as barren as the common room. The only light was from the sconces on the wall with the same green flames. Hermione took in every inch of wall they passed. Kalista walked ahead and told her all about the prefects. "We're assigned the duty in Fifth Year and it continues until we leave. One boy and one girl from each house. So six in total. Us three girls share a room. Headmaster asked if we would be okay adding another and we agreed."

"Thank you," she said after a moment.

The inside of the room was somewhat similar to the set up in Gryffindor. There were four large four-poster beds with canopy's of black, silver, and greens. What excited her the most was that there were partitions between the beds and plenty of space between. With the right wards and charms, it would be private.

"That one's yours." Hermione looked over to the far corner of the room. It was the most private one by far. "All of the supplies and things you rounded up earlier are already stashed in the trunk at the foot of your bed. Do you know where your classes are?"

She nodded. "Yes, Tom took us on a tour already."

Kalista's smile tightened for a moment. "Don't let him scare you too much. He just comes on a little strong, but he's alright once you get to know him."

Hermione didn't comment. Instead, she put on a smile and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry, I'm Harmony Granger. My friend is Draco Malory."

Kalista's brown eyes sparked at the mention of Malfoy. "Speaking of your friend… Are you two…"

It took a moment for Hermione to catch on. When she did, she wanted proclaim loudly that she would never be caught dead thinking of Malfoy as something other than foul and loathsome. Yet, the way the girl was asking made her feel possessive of her only connection to her real world.

"Yes."

Kalista sighed. "Figures, all the good-looking ones are taken. You did well, Harmony."

She mustered up a smile and looked around, not really sure what to do next. She just wanted to get back to the common room and see Malfoy again. She shuddered at the thought; it was surreal to crave his presence.

"Oh, and don't worry about the no boys thing. We've all snuck in a bloke a few times," Kalista said, her eyes alight with mischief. "Just do us a favor and let us know before hand, yeah? We'll never tattle."

Hermione felt heat wash over her and she dropped her eyes to the ground. "Thanks."

"I have class to get to, but after dinner I'll introduce you to the rest of the girls. It was nice to meet you, Harmony!" she called as she made her way to the door.

Alone in the room, Hermione grabbed her wand from her robes and set about warding her corner of the room. Much like the wards from being on the run, once she stepped behind it, no one would hear or see anything. More importantly, no one would be able to step foot across the wards unless she invited them. She considered adding Malfoy's signature to the wards, but decided against it for now. Finished, she returned to the common room.

Malfoy was pacing in front of the fireplace as he waited for her. There were still other people in the common room, but at least Riddle was gone. She motioned for him to follow and they left the common room. If she remembered correctly, there was a secret passage near the potions classroom. After checking for prying eyes, she opened the passage way and they stepped inside.

"Lumos," they whispered in unison; their wands tips casting a warm glow in the darkness.

"I'm rooming with the prefects," she informed him. "You?"

"Riddle." Hermione's eyes went wide. "Head Boy and Head Girl get their own room. He opened his up to share with me. Don't I feel lucky."

"At least you'll be able to watch him."

"I'm not a fucking Gryffindor!" he snapped. "I would much prefer a room full of strangers so I can blend in and get the bloody hell away from that psycho!"

"It's better to keep your enemies closer," she argued and then gestured between them. "Case in point."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't comment. She stared at him for a moment, bit her lip, and then looked down quickly. "What?" he asked.

"Kalista asked me if we were…" she cleared her throat and rushed on. "I said that we were."

"Of course you did."

Her eyes snapped back up to him; blazing of golden fire in the wand light. "If I had said you were single, everyone would have been throwing themselves at you and you'd get distracted."

"Are you sure you weren't just jealous, Granger?"

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Piss off. I'll tell them we broke up and you can feel free to whore around. Even the thought of being your fake girlfriend makes me want to throw up."

He sneered at her. "How could I forget your preference for red hair and pudding for brains?"

She stepped closer to him, seething. "Ron Weasley is thrice the man you'll ever be! At least he fought for what he believed in instead of doing as he was told and hiding behind his mother's skirts!"

He snarled at her as he pushed her back against the wall. His palms slapped against the stone on either side of her head. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his as he got in her face. "Not everyone has the luxury of doing whatever the fuck they want, Granger. We come from very different worlds. Don't presume to know anything about me!"

They were each rooted to their spot; their eyes spitting daggers at one another. Slowly, the seething rage seeped from both of them only to be replaced by something new. Malfoy stepped back the moment the air shifted and Hermione pressed herself further against the stone wall, shaking that emotion off as fast as it had come to her.

"Please don't mention Ron or Harry to me. I won't talk about your family in return."

He nodded.

"And I'm sorry for claiming we were together without talking to you. It was just the easiest way to get a cover story. If we plan on spending all of our free time together to figure out how to get home, then they'll all assume that's the case anyway."

"It's fine, Granger." She let out a breath at his acceptance and straightened herself. "If anything, it will help Riddle keep his distance from you."

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"The way he was looking at you…" his fists clenched at his side. "He won't believe what he can't see. We'll have to put on a show. Can you act your part?"

"Yes." Her voice was terse and flat, but she knew it was better to put up with Malfoy than any sort of advances Riddle might make.

"Whatever happens here is forgotten the moment we get home," he assured her.

"We have some time before dinner, we should go to the library and start researching."

He looked to the entrance and then back at her. "What if someone sees?"

Her eyes lit up for a moment. "I didn't have a little beaded bag on me when you came to, did I?"

He thought about it and then shook his head. "Nothing but your clothes. Why?"

There was a chance it may have been destroyed in the fire. She wondered if she should tell Malfoy about her plans to recreate the map. He huffed in annoyance at her silence.

"Granger, we're in this together. If it's something that pertains to us getting out, then-"

"There was a map in the bag. When activated, it would display all of Hogwarts and its inhabitants."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, but there was curiosity too. "That's how you three managed to get around so easily."

"And spy on people, yes," she said, her lips quirking up a little bit. "Come on, if I can recreate it, I'll be able to show you exactly how it works."

Carefully they made their way out of the secret passage. From the looks of things, no one saw and they proceeded towards the library for the hour that they had leading up to dinner.

* * *

With notes in hand, Malfoy and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. They hadn't discussed much once they left the secret passage way. Once at the library, Hermione had gone straight for books on map making and tried her best to find a blueprint of Hogwarts. Malfoy had opted for magical theories on time travel and the pair had lapsed into silence to research.

After six years of second nature, Hermione began heading for the Gryffindor table, but Malfoy pulled her back. "You're in the snake pit now," he reminded her in a low voice.

She gave the crimson and gold banners a longing look before following him across the hall to the Slytherin table. They perched themselves at the very end and began to eat.

Their solitude was short lived as Kalista and two other girls sat down at the table across from them. "Draco, Harmony," she greeted with a smile. "This is Gertrude Mcleod, a Fifth Year," she said, gesturing to the brunette on her left. "And Agnes Birchwater, Seventh Year," she added, nodding at the honey haired witch to her right. "They're your fellow roommates."

"Ah, pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, nodding her head at both of them. "Thank you for letting me share your room."

"Of course!" Gertrude said with a large smile. "I'd love to hear all about Durmstrang." She leaned in a little, her dark eyes flashing. "Is it true? That they teach more about the Dark Arts than they ought to?"

"We know enough," Malfoy answered.

"The Dark Arts was never my strong suit," she said. "They taught what they needed to."

Gertrude sat back clearly unsatisfied with their answer. Kalista shook her head and smiled. "Forgive Trudy, here. She's prone to say whatever is on her mind."

Hermione mustered up a smile. "It's fine. I've been told I make horrible first impressions."

Malfoy snorted from next to her and she resisted the urge to shove her elbow into his ribs. Agnes' eyes flickered between them both for a moment while she buttered a biscuit. "So how long have you two been together?"

"Since the summer," Malfoy answered easily.

The girls across from them picked up on the icy undertones of his voice and let that particular conversation drop. Instead, they focused on comparing their course schedules and giving the new students a run down on the likes and dislikes of the professors. When dinner was over, Hermione and Malfoy excused themselves back to the library.

"You're terrible at making friends," he said once they were seated.

"I disagree. I just choose my friends wisely."

"Yes, I suppose waiting until people come to your rescue is the foundation of a solid friendship."

"As opposed to having lackeys to do my every bid?" Something flickered in his eyes and he stiffened. She thought of the scream in the Room of Requirement amongst the Fiendfyre and sighed. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Serves him right," he said after a moment. "He had no business casting Fiendfyre."

She nodded and pulled out her notes they had collected earlier. She stopped rifling through them when she felt his eyes boring a hole into the side of her skull. She looked up at him. "Yes, Malfoy?"

"They're going to ask you about us later."

She tapped the desk with her fingertips and rolled her eyes. "I know."

"What will you tell them?" His head tipped to the side as he leaned back; arms folding across his chest. "I'm curious to see how I swept you off your feet." She rolled her eyes and he clucked his tongue at her. "If you keep doing that, they'll get stuck inside your head."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes yet again. She folded her hands neatly atop her notes and took a deep breath. "Fine. You said it started over the summer. I'll tell them that it started when our parents decided to move their business back to London. That my parents moved first and you couldn't bear the thought of me leaving and made the first move. I'll tell them you didn't come back until near the end of summer and we spent most of our 'relationship' writing letters.

"For good measure, since I'm sure everyone can sense your vile nature, I'll tell them that you wanted to commute to Drumstrang, but I wanted to come here. That you decided last minute to come with me because you couldn't stomach a year without me."

She grinned at the scowl on his face. "You might want to tell them something they'll believe."

"Oh they'll believe it. I'm quite good at cover stories," she said, thinking of all the times she had spun preposterous tales to cover for herself, Harry, and Ron over the years.

He simply bristled with a harrumph, but didn't say anything. Hermione held his gaze for a moment and then turned back to her notes. "What would you have said, then?" she asked without looking up.

"Something that doesn't make me come off as whipped," he answered brusquely. "Maybe something along the lines of I snogged you senseless and you just keep coming back for more."

She snorted and looked up at him. "You're opposed to a believable young love story in favor of making me out to be a slag? Classy."

"I said snog, Granger." His brow quirked. "It's what usually happens when I snog someone; they just can't keep away."

"That makes you sound like the slag," she said icily. "But that's the difference between the sexes. Blokes can rack up all the snogs and boast about prowess and come off as some sort of a hero. Yet women, the fairer of the sexes, get judged and shunned for how many men we snog."

"Just how many witches do you think I've snogged, Granger?" His grey eyes were clouded with curiosity.

"I'm sure it's an abhorrently high number. And honestly I'd rather not waste my time thinking of where your mouth has been."

"And I suppose yours is squeaky clean?"

"At least mine never touched something like Pansy Parkinson."

He narrowed his eyes for a moment and then chuckled. "Touché," he said. "Although, I would say the same about Weasley."

Memories of the Chamber of Secrets came to her and she turned her head. She remembered the way her hand had trembled as she brought the fang down to the cup. She recalled the rush of water as she and Ron scrambled to get away from the shard of Voldemort's soul trying to get away. She closed her eyes as she recalled the glance she exchanged with Ron a moment before his lips sought hers.

"If you're not going to research, you can go," she said with finality as she got to her feet. She didn't look at him as she moved away, losing herself in the stacks. She found the books on charms and map making that she was reading earlier and returned to the table.

He was still there with his own notes spread about. A book on time travel open as well. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice low.

"I'll tell them whatever you want me to tell them."

"Your story is fine."

She bobbed her head and cracked open her book. They stayed there until the warning for curfew sounded throughout the castle. The sconces in the library dimmed, signaling it was time for them to return to the dorms.

"Are you sure we can't just stay in the Room of Requirement?" he asked, packing his things slowly. "I'd rather wither and die in a broom closet than share my room with that snake."

"At least he doesn't have Nagini yet," she said, offering a small smile.

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

She paused in the main hallway and looked at him. "He's rather proficient at Legilimency."

"I'm aware," he replied. "I've been through enough of his intrusions. Between him and Aunt Bellatrix, I've become quite good at Occlumency."

She winced at the sound of her name and instinctively grabbed her left forearm. "That should help then. I'm sure he wouldn't think twice about using it on either of us. The last thing we need is for him to see what he becomes. You should teach me."

His eyes went wide with surprise. "You mean to tell me there's a skill I possess that you don't, Granger?"

"I'm sure I can read about it and practice it on my own, but it would be easier to have practical lessons from someone with adequate experience," she said, nose turning up in the air as they continued on to the dungeons. "Harry tried to teach me while we were on the run, but he wasn't very good at it."

"You do understand the process can be quite…" he paused to think of the right word. "Intimate in a way."

"I have nothing to hide from you and I'd rather you poke around inside my head than Riddle," she answered. "And besides, I'd like to practice Legilimency, so we'll both be open to one another."

His lips parted and she was sure he was going to object, but he sighed instead. They were silent until they reached the common room. They stood near the corridor juncture, not wanting to part just yet.

"We both have Transfiguration together first if I remember correctly," she said.

"Yes."

Her eyes lit up. "Maybe we should ask Dumbledore for help?"

"He's not the Dumbledore we knew, Granger."

"He is, actually. He's just a little younger." He was tense and she knew the reason for it. She reached out and gently laid her hand on his forearm. "Look, I know we had very different encounters with him over the years, but he's the closest thing we have to a lifeline right now. I trust him. Do you trust me?"

He stared at her for a long moment before cracking a light smile. "As long as you're not flying a broom, I trust you."

She smiled in return and gave him a light shove. "I'll see you in the morning. Do try and get some sleep."

He nodded and watched her as she turned to the right and made her way to her own dorm. She gave one last look at him before turning out of sight. When she entered her dorm, her roommates were sitting together on the floor playing a game. They smiled at her and waved. She thought about what Malfoy said and went to them. Whatever helped keep her mind off of Malfoy alone with Riddle was a welcomed distraction.


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

**_Wednesday, 3 September 1944_**

Hermione was up earlier than her roommates, giving her ample time to claim the bathroom as her own. She could have taken her time, but she wanted to go to the common room and check on Malfoy as fast as possible. She was sure he would be one of the first up and out of his dorm. Finished in the bathroom, she scourgified her clothes, slipped on her borrowed robes, and made her way to the common room.

Malfoy wasn't there, but judging from the hairs standing up on the back of her neck, she knew who was. Had he not looked up, she would have retreated back to her room, but it was too late. Instead, she riled up her Gryffindor bravery and took the furthest seat away from him. She took out a book and began to read.

"You're up early," he said, coming to sit closer to her.

"New place," she said, not bothering to look up.

She felt the tension in the room thicken, but refused to keep her eyes on the page. "Miss Granger, have I done something to offend you?" he asked.

There was a tickling sensation at the back of her mind. She slammed up the thickest Occlumency shield she could think of and looked up to glare at him. "Yes," she said, snapping her book closed quite harshly.

"Would you care to elaborate? We have only just met."

"I know all I need to know about you," she said, shoving the book back in her bag. "And I know what it feels like to have your mind invaded so I would stay out of my head if I were you."

She swallowed thickly as surprise flickered in his eyes. His lips quirked into that ever-present ghost of a smirk. "I apologize. I sometimes forget my own skill. I have never had someone call me out before." He leaned forward and Hermione forced herself not to cower; instead her fingers dug into the leather. "May I ask what it is that I did?"

"You did. Twice now." She trembled from fear and the energy it took to keep her walls up. He took a deep breath from his nose as if inhaling her fear. His eyes narrowed as he savored it.

He leaned back and Hermione let her breath out slowly, but kept a hold of her walls. At this rate, she wouldn't even have the energy to make it through her first class. "Whatever it is, I apologize. It must have been quite awful for you to fear me as much as you do, Harmony."

The way he said her name left her with a bad taste in her mouth. It was as if he knew it wasn't her real name.

"If you'll allow it, I would like the chance to make amends."

Her walls were slipping and she could see in his eyes that he was waiting for them to crumble. She squeezed her eyes shut, but no matter how much she tried, the walls began to shatter.

"Granger?"

Malfoy's voice broke the hold Riddle had over her. Her walls crumbled and turned to dust in her mind, but she could no longer feel the tickle of him waiting to gain entry. Malfoy's hand found her shoulder and she looked up to give him a small smile, but failed. He wasn't even looking at her; he had his eyes transfixed on Riddle.

"Good morning Mister Malory. Miss Granger and I were just discussing her first night in her dorm. It seems neither of you slept well. Is there anything I might be able to help with?"

"Just a new place," he said, echoing Hermione's statement without knowing.

She smiled then and got to her feet. Riddle gave them both a tight-lipped smile. "I hope you both adjust to your surroundings. Hogwarts can feel quite like home if you allow it to."

Hermione leaned down to reach for her bag, but jumped back when Riddle rose with it already in hand. She snatched it from him hastily and shoved her hair behind her ears. Without a word, she turned to Malfoy and reached for his hand.

"I'll see you both in Charms," he called after them.

Malfoy practically dragged her out of the common room as her legs didn't move nearly as fast as his. It was still rather early in the morning, but students were sure to be roaming the halls on their way to breakfast soon. For now, they were alone in a corridor near the Great Hall.

"Are you alright?" Malfoy asked, tossing his bag at his feet next to hers.

She nodded. "He tried to look inside my mind. He was surprised when I resisted, but we really need to practice. If you hadn't come when you had, he would have seen everything. He was there, waiting for the walls to fall."

Malfoy's eyes were raging storms when she looked at him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner. We should communicate in the mornings. Don't come out of your dorm unless I'm there."

She nodded immediately and wrapped her arms in front of her. "Why does he seem so fixated on me?"

"He can sense how powerful your magic is, Granger. It calls to him."

"Maybe he can smell my dirty blood with his rotten nose," she muttered, letting her head fall back against the stone wall.

"Your blood isn't dirty," he said. His voice was so quiet she thought for a moment that she'd imagined it. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the look on his face and knew it was real.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Come on, let's get an early breakfast. I'm going to need food if I have to have a one-on-one with Dumbledore and fend off Riddle for two classes today."

She nodded in agreement. "If we partner up in every class, we should be alright."

"I've always wanted a partner to do all the heavy lifting," he teased as they picked up their bags.

"Think again, Malfoy."

"Oh come on, you know you love the work. Besides, what if I mess something up?"

"You wouldn't," she said and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Would you?"

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I know you'd just love to blame me if something went wrong. Whether I lifted a finger to help you or not."

They started walking and out of instinct, she reached for his hand. It stopped her in her tracks when he pulled his hand out of reach. "Sorry," she mumbled, lowering her head to hide her crimson cheeks.

She went still as his hand sought hers and laced their fingers together. "It's fine. It'll go with the cover story," he said, pulling her forward to walk again. "We were just doing this."

"In front of Riddle to make a point."

He turned to look at her and she dared to peak up at him through her lashes. _When did he get so tall_? she asked herself.

He gave her hand a small squeeze. "It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Even if it's you."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but returned the small smile that tugged at his lips. Together, they walked into the Great Hall and took their usual seats at the table, letting their fingers remain joined until the last possible moment.

* * *

Watching Dumbledore give a lecture about Transfiguration felt like witnessing something rare and extraordinary. Hermione had leaned over her side of the desk, propped her head in her hands, and just listened. Her interactions with him hadn't been out of the ordinary save a time or two; not in comparison to the things he would do with Harry, but he was in his element now.

It was Malfoy's elbow in her rib that sucked her back into reality and she blushed as she realized class had already ended. Most students had already vacated the classroom. He motioned for her to go and began to pack her things for her.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

He turned from where he stood facing his desk and peered down his spectacles at her. He gave a smile as she approached. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

Her lips parted, but her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth. It was as if she'd lost the will to speak.

"Miss Granger?"

The tears spilled down her cheeks before she even knew they were coming. She lunged forward and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his beard. Instead of pulling away from her, he simply held her back and let her cry.

She pulled back on her own accord after a moment and blushed while wiping her face. "I'm sorry."

He pulled out the chair nearest them and gestured for her to sit. Malfoy was watching them from their desk with a strange look in his eye. Dumbledore made another seat for himself and sat in front of her.

"I didn't mean to… It's just… You're alive…"

His eyes widened at that, but he merely chuckled. "I take it I'm no longer amongst the living wherever you're from."

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes again. "No."

He reached forward and patted her hand. "We all pass on into the afterlife, Miss Granger. If it was my time…" He pulled away and smiled. "What year was it?" he asked and then waved in dismissal. "Don't answer that," he said and looked at Malfoy at the desk. "I should love to discuss this with you both, but I have another class soon. Would you both join me in my office Saturday for tea? After lunch perhaps."

She nodded eagerly. "Thank you."

She started to get up, but he stopped her with another pat on the hand. "Please stay another moment, Miss Granger. Mister Malory-"

"It's Malfoy, actually," he said.

Dumbledore smiled. "I thought the resemblance to Abraxas was uncanny. He graduated last year. Did you know him?"

Malfoy got up from the desk and brought both bags with him before standing behind Hermione. "He was my grandfather."

"Ah, the not too distant future."

"And my name is Hermione, not Harmony."

"Clever to change certain things. Did we know each other well?"

"You were a mentor to my best friend," she said, forcing away another round of tears at the thought of Harry.

Malfoy stayed silent.

Dumbledore looked between the two of them. "Am I safe to assume that the broken nose the night you arrived is a signal of your relationship?"

"We're not friends," Hermione answered. "But we're all we have while we're stuck, so we're making due."

"And how are you finding your house?"

"I was a Slytherin before," Malfoy said.

"I should expect no less," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I was Gryffindor. I don't belong amongst the snakes."

His smile wavered for a moment. "Then I believe it goes without saying to watch yourselves."

"We know about…him," Hermione said, opting not to the say the name in case someone was lurking outside the classroom.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Things we can discuss at tea on Saturday," he assured her and stood. "I trust you know where my office is?"

"You were our Headmaster, Sir."

He chuckled at the thought. "It's on the third floor, just past the pair of gargoyles. There is a portrait of a candy dish outside of it. The password is Fizzy Pop."

Hermione smiled as she got to her feet as well. "Thank you."

He waved at them as they took their leave of the classroom. Malfoy walked ahead of her as if he couldn't wait until they made it to the hall. He stopped her once they were far enough away and handed her her bag.

"Well that went well."

She rolled her eyes. "I know you're being sarcastic, but it actually did go well. He knows we're misplaced and we'll have the opportunity to talk to him on Saturday. He'll help us."

"I'm glad you have faith in him."

In effort to not start a new argument, she ignored his comment. "We have less than an hour until Charms. Do you want to work on the assignment in the common room or should we head to the library?"

"The assignment we were just handed?"

"Yes," she answered, narrowing her eyes as he looked at her with concern.

"Are you going to be like this the entire time we're here?" He shook his head and nodded towards the stairs. "If we spend our time doing homework, we'll never have time to research our side project."

"In Third Year, I took ten classes. I did all of that, helped Harry and Ron with their school work, saved Sirius and Buckbeak from certain death, and still managed to get every single one of my assignments in on time." She paused to catch her breath. "I think I can manage five classes and still get us home."

She had thrown a lot of information at him at once and it left him stunned. She smiled and pushed past him on the way to the library. He jogged to catch up with her and cut her off. "You mean to tell me that fucking beast lived?"

"_Buckbeak_," she hissed. "Was an innocent creature. You were properly informed how to approach him, but you just had to show off. It's your own fault you got hurt and Buckbeak didn't deserve his unfair punishment."

"But my father-"

"Nope, I saved him. And I punched you. All in the same day," she said, smiling as she reflected fondly on the memory.

He scowled at her as they continued on to the library. "Regardless of who was at fault, that thing hurt me."

She scoffed. "Please. You drew that out for far too long; even your housemates started to get annoyed."

He waved his hand at her. "Wait a minute. Did you say _ten _classes?"

"I did."

"How is that possible?"

"Ah, see that secret doesn't apply to our escape plan here, so I don't have to tell you."

He stared at her for a moment, but sighed in the end. "Fine. Let's get this assignment over with, shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

_**Wednesday, 3 September 1944**_

Granger had sped through her assignment so fast it made Draco's mind spin. She was completely done with it by the time the bell rang throughout the castle signaling time for Charms. "I can help you finish it later."

"I don't need help with it, Granger," he bit out. He winced at the harshness in his own voice.

She said nothing, but he noticed the way she retreated mentally. The silence continued over them as they made their way to Charms. The classroom was still in the same spot, but Professor Flitwick was nowhere in sight. Their professor was Sylas Westwick; a very astute man with slicked back hair and a monocle on his left eye.

They had arrived in the midst of the other students, but still early enough that it wasn't hard to find a desk. They sat at the edge near the window, but in the back row. Malfoy kept a weary out for Riddle and he could feel Granger doing the same. He had purposefully made her sit next to the window in case Riddle decided to take the empty seat on his other side.

They both tensed when he entered the room. His presence was like a bolt of lightening down his spine. His every nerve was alive with little pins and needles. His left forearm itched, reminding him Riddle's magic was alive and well in the mark. He reached between them for Granger's hand. He told himself it was because he wanted to reassure her that he was there, but he knew he needed the reassurance as well.

Riddle sat at the opposite side of the room. He had only briefly glanced their way; eyes landing on the chair. He had considered sitting next to them, but decided against it.

They both relaxed as they lesson began.

Draco hadn't learned much in sixth year. The task of killing his Headmaster was a little too distracting. His seventh year had been a complete joke. With Death Eaters taking over, their focus was on letting the students that opposed them know they were in charge. He couldn't even recall a single lesson that actually involved any sort of teaching.

He wanted to focus on the lesson, but he couldn't find himself caring. He let his mind wander to their predicament instead. He knew they had to get home, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to a war zone.

It was rather freeing to be here knowing that his father hadn't even been born yet. He missed his mother, sure, but that was the only reason he had to go back. Here, Riddle aside, he could do anything; be anyone. He wouldn't have to live up to the Malfoy name. He wouldn't have to endure the Dark Lord killing professors on his dining table.

He had thought about it all night. He didn't do much but toss and turn. Every time he closed his eyes, he was rewarded with a memory of the Dark Lord. Some atrocious act or another. When he woke from his last poor excuse for rest he could have sworn his mark was burning.

Granger extracted her fingers from his and it drew him from his thoughts for a moment. If it weren't for her, he would have died in the Fiendfyre. She would have made it out and lived to keep on fighting in the war. She would have undoubtedly been on the side of victory. He wondered if she would have even mourned his death.

"Malfoy?" she whispered, concern filling her chocolate eyes.

He realized he was staring, but couldn't seem to look away. He noticed the honey amongst the chocolate in her eyes. The sprinkling of freckles on her nose. He shook his head and looked away, pretending to listen to Professor Westwick again.

He knew she wouldn't have wasted her time mourning him and he berated himself for even thinking that she would. He had been nothing but an asshole to her for their entire lives. Why she even saved him from the flames was beyond him.

What bothered him the most was that no matter how much he would rather ditch Hogwarts and run away right now. How much he wanted to say fuck it all and stay in this timeline like the coward he was… He knew that as long as Granger was here, he couldn't. He couldn't leave her with Riddle. She had friends and family to get back to. She had a boyfriend.

His mood soured at that thought. Or rather, it soured when he realized that thought seemed to sting the most.

Draco had never packed his bag so fast in his entire life when the bell rang. He didn't even look back when Granger called for him as he shot out of the classroom ahead of everyone else. He knew he was breaking his promise to never leave her alone, but he forced himself not to care. Instead, he ran through the castle until he found a door that led outside.

He fell to his knees and gasped for breath. People stared at him as they passed, but he ignored them all. When the panic subsided, he sat back against the exterior and waited for his mind to clear.

* * *

Hermione sat in a daze as she watched Malfoy fly from the room. He hadn't listened to the lecture at all and he had stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. He hadn't responded to her at all during class and didn't even look back as he left her behind.

Resisting the urge to run off after him, she continued to pack up her notes and left the classroom with the rest of the students. She kept her head down, causing her to collide with someone in the hall. Her bag slipped from her shoulder and the contents spilled across the floor. She bent to gather her things, but stopped cold when Riddle stooped to help her.

"I do apologize, Miss Granger. I thought you heard me say your name."

She swallowed her fear and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you." He offered a small smile as they stood and helped her reorganize her bag. He even used his wand to repair the strap. "Thanks."

He inclined his head and then parted his lips as if to ask her something. Whatever it was, she never got to find out as Claudia came around the corner. "Oh, there you are, Tom," she said with a smile. "Hey, Harmony."

She gave a small wave and shifted her feet awkwardly.

"Dippet wants a word with us," she said to Riddle.

He stared at Hermione for a moment and then stepped towards Claudia. "I will see you in Potions, Miss Granger."

She nodded and watched as they walked away. When he was gone from sight, she made her way towards Great Hall hoping Malfoy would meet her there for lunch. She was hopeful when someone sat across from her, but it was only Kalista. Agnes and Gertrude followed shortly and they kept her somewhat distracted, but Malfoy never turned up.

Riddle had appeared halfway through lunch, but thankfully took his own seat in the middle of the table with his group. He had looked at her briefly though, but Hermione couldn't must up any fear as her worry for Malfoy continued. She wrote in the book she had linked with his, asking if he was alright and where he was, but he never responded.

The girls parted from lunch to go to their next class, leaving Hermione alone again. She waited until she had to before making her leave as well. She paced outside of the classroom, refusing to go in until he came. He would have to pass by her eventually whether it was to class or the dorm.

Riddle was one of the first to arrive. "H-have you been to your dorm since Charms?" she asked before she lost her nerve.

He shook his head. "I came straight to the Great Hall after meeting with Headmaster Dippet. I noticed Mister Malory did not joint you for lunch."

"He'll turn up eventually," she said wistfully.

"And if he does not, do not fret. I will happily be your Potions partner."

She gave a nervous smile and a quick nod. To her relief, he said nothing more as he slipped inside the classroom. She resumed her pacing and a few moments later, Malfoy came into view.

"There you are!" she hissed, advancing on him. "Where the hell did you go? Why did you-"

"Granger, stop."

"Stop? You promised you wouldn't leave me alone and then you bolted without so much as a word. I wrote in the book, but you didn't respond. Malfoy-"

"Did he do anything?" he interrupted.

She considered their interactions, but shook her head in the end. "No."

"Then can you just let it go?" he asked, stepping forward.

She moved to block his path again; taking in the way his hands clenched at his side. "No secrets, remember?"

He leaned in; his eyes the darkest she had ever seen. "Get out of my way, Granger or I will put you in a body bind and leave you in the hall."

Her jaw dropped and he used her stupor to get away. His shoulder crashed into hers and she stumbled, catching herself on a statue. She whirled around staring daggers into his back as he entered the classroom. She stalked after him not caring that all eyes were on her.

She dropped her bag unceremoniously on the desk next to him and made a show of sitting down. The tension steadily built between the two of them as Professor Slughorn began the lesson. Every time her hand went up in the air to answer the question, Malfoy snorted. It took every ounce of will power not to throttle him each time he made the sound.

Since Potions was a double, at the midway point, Slughorn announced the potion they would be working on for the next hour. He waved his wand at the chalkboard and some tips appeared. He gave them the page number for the recipe and told them to get started.

"Raise your hand any higher and you could dust the ceiling," Malfoy sneered the moment people started milling about the room.

"Excuse me?" she snapped, turning in her seat.

"I'm surprised you didn't jump out of your chair to be the first one in the supply closet."

"What the hell has gotten into you, Malfoy?"

His eyes flickered around the room, taking in how many people were pretending to ignore them. When his gaze landed back on her he shrugged with indifference.

"Fine," she snapped as she got to her feet. "I'll guess you'll get your wish after all."

She snatched her book from the table and made her way to the supply closet. She waited off to the side until the storeroom had emptied to a handful of students. She took her time scouring the shelves and finding what she needed. She'd brewed this before and knew that she could afford some time in here without sacrificing a perfect brew.

"Trouble in paradise?"

She jumped at the sound of Riddle's voice close behind her. The vial of Gnarly Root crashing to the floor.

"I take that as a yes," he said, using his wand to clean it up for her.

"Thanks," she said, her voice meek. She turned back to the shelf and grabbed the last of what she needed. Riddle was still there when she turned around. "What?"

"You are very smart, Miss Granger," he replied. "I don't believe I've come across anyone with the kind of brain you seem to possess."

"A brain that is still off limits," she scolded.

He held up his hands and Hermione caught herself returning his smile. "I can't promise to always catch myself, but I will do my best."

He reached out towards her face and the fear slammed into her gut so hard she bounced off the shelves behind her. She froze as the shelf dug into the small of her back. He either didn't notice or didn't care that she feared him as he continued to reach for her. She shifted as he moved to pluck something from her hair and then slowly brought his hand back.

He held up a feather and his eyes lifted to the ceiling. Hermione looked up and saw the little nest in the rafters. She slowly brought her gaze down and met Riddle's eyes. His expression was unreadable, but he said nothing more as he turned and left her in the supply closet alone.

Hermione watched him go. Her fingers trembled where they clutched at the shelf and she let out a shaky breath she'd been holding. Her stomach flipped as disgust filled her bones. She hated herself then. For just a moment, she had enjoyed the banter between them. She was used to banter with Malfoy, but this was different.

She shook herself out of it and returned to her desk.

"Took you long enough," he said, pulling his head off the desk when she took her seat.

"What do you care?" she snapped. "You wanted me to do everything anyway. Just go back to sleep, Malfoy."

"I wasn't sleeping."

"No, you were ignoring me and leaving me alone to fend for myself when Riddle cornered me in the supply room."

His eyes widened and she scoffed at his audacity to be concerned. "Did-"

"You should just do yourself a favor and stop pretending. I'm sure you'd just love it if he took me out before you got the chance."

"Granger-"

"Miss Granger, Mister Malory; is everything alright?" Professor Slughorn asked as he stopped by their desk. He was making his usual rounds amongst the students.

"Yes, Professor," she answered, giving him a large smile.

He nodded and walked away.

"Save it, Malfoy. Let's just get on with the potion."

He reached up and laid his hand over hers as she began to lay out their ingredients. She kept her eyes on the table. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice low. She bit at her lip, hating the way she relaxed from his touch; as if she missed it.

"You can't do that."

"I know," he said, letting go of her to divide the ingredients. "I'll tell you everything before dinner, okay?"

She nodded and they worked in silence. Not surprisingly, at the end of class, they turned in a perfect potion.


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

_**Wednesday, 3 September 1944**_

They didn't get the chance to speak before dinner. Slughorn had been so impressed with them that he asked them to remain behind. They spent the next hour discussing their previous lessons from "Durmstrang" and what they hoped to achieve after school. Their talk ended with an invitation to Slug Club; something they tried to decline, but accepted in the end.

When they got to the dorms, her roommates were in the common room along with a few other Slytherins. They invited them over to talk and they spent time getting to know them. The conversations continued over dinner in the Great Hall. Hermione found herself enjoying their company and saw Malfoy was as well.

After dinner they made their way to the library. They had a few hours before curfew and Hermione knew Malfoy wanted to stay out of the dorms for as long as he could. They found a secluded spot near the Restricted Section and she cast various charms and spells to keep intruders away and themselves silenced.

"What happened?" she asked him, sitting cross legged in front of him.

"It was a panic attack," he said. "I tried to listen to the lecture, but I found myself thinking of Sixth and Seventh Years and how my education has been fucked thus far, so I started tuning out. I thought about how easy it would be to run away and start over here." He propped his elbows on his drawn-up knees and put his head in his hands. "But as cowardly as my nature is, I couldn't leave you."

"You did though."

He snorted and shook his head. "In the long run, Granger. We need each other to get home. You have people waiting for you. Friends, family… Weasley."

"You have family-"

"I have my mother," he interrupted. "She's the only reason I've done what I have. My insubordination nearly cost her life."

"It's still someone waiting for you," she said, her voice light. He looked up at her, head still in his hands. She offered a smile and kind eyes. "I actually don't need you to go back, but she does."

He snorted and lifted his head; the faintest of smiles on his lips. "Thanks, I think."

She inclined her head. "I know we have our differences, but in the interest of being partners while we're stuck here, you can talk to me. About anything."

He nodded, but changed the subject. "Tell me about Riddle? Did he approach you after Charms?"

"I'm not sure it was on purpose. I was still in a daze after you took off. I wasn't paying attention and I walked into him. He just helped me pick up my stuff and then left with Claudia to see Dippet."

"What about in Potions?"

"While you were napping-"

"I wasn't-"

"We were alone in the store room," she finished, smirking at his protest. "He didn't do much. Just wanted to push me."

His eyes narrowed and she looked down under the weight of his stare. "Push you, how?"

"You know how he is. He feeds off the fear so he just said a few things to get a rise out of me." She shrugged and tucked a chuck of hair behind her ears. Her heart skipped a beat as she forced herself not to betray her emotions. She was still beating herself up over the incident; she didn't need Malfoy to know and judge her either.

"We still need to go to Dippet in the morning and see about you dropping that class. You can take Ancient Runes with me if you want."

"No," she said, a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and shook her head.

"No? You'd rather subject yourself to some alone time with the Dark Lord?"

"No!" she snapped. "I might learn something in Astronomy that can be useful for us. Who knows, it may have been something in the stars."

"Maybe we ought to switch to Divination?"

Hermione's face twisted in utter disgust to which he smirked. "I wouldn't take that class if it were the only way to keep my magic."

"I do recall hearing the know-it-all swot once walked out of a class and-" he feigned a gasp, "dropped a subject."

She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. "It's all worthless drivel. You don't believe in that stuff do you?"

He shrugged. "I never really thought about it." He bent his head forward and reached back to rub at the kink in his neck. "If you don't want to drop it, then I'll see about taking Astronomy."

"If you insist. Ancient Runes might give us some insight to our situation as well."

He sighed. "What if-"

"He won't attack me in a classroom full of people. That's not his style. Not yet. Besides, he's too interested in me to hurt me."

"Not making me feel better about you being alone with him."

"You're alone with him in your dorm and I'm alone with him for Astronomy. We can't be glued to one another's sides the entire time we're here. It would be good for us to watch him separately; see what we can learn. Maybe we can use it to our advantage when we get back."

"You're still wanting to see if we can change the future. That's too dangerous. What if we change something so much that our future doesn't exist anymore?"

"I'm not setting out to change anything. I just want to observe and learn. That's all I ever want to do. If it gets to be too dangerous, I'll drop the subject."

"Fine."

"Besides, I think it would do better for both of us to stop being so fearful around him. That's one of the reasons he's so drawn to me. If I show him I'm not afraid-"

"It won't matter whether you're afraid of him or not, Granger. It's your power. It oozes out of you whether you mean it to or not. Fear and power. Your knowledge is a power in its own right and that draws him in even more."

She studied him with a slight tilt to her head. "Are you talking about Riddle or yourself?"

His eyes were hard and unrelenting as they stared back at hers. "He craved you the most," he said in a low voice that made her shiver. "You were all he would talk about. His example. He would constantly use your power and your knowledge to remind the Purebloods why we need to rid the world of Muggle-borns. That it isn't right for you to possess those traits with no proper lineage."

Hermione swallowed and reached up to twist strands of hair around her fingers.

"When he learned of your escape from the Manor he was livid. Aunt Bella was always his favorite, but you couldn't tell from the punishments he doled out to her. When she told him of how she carved Mudblood into your arm, he nearly Avada'd her."

Hermione blinked as her thoughts began to swirl.

"I see the same hungry look in his eyes whenever he looks at you now that I saw when he spoke of you then."

"He remembered," she whispered, scrambling to her feet.

"What?"

She began to pace as Malfoy got to his feet. She shook her head as her thoughts formulated. "Maybe we were always supposed to come here? Maybe Voldemort as you knew him remembers us from our time here?"

"How would that be possible?"

The answer was there, on the tip of her tongue, but eluded her each time her lips parted to say it. She shook her head in frustration. "It'll come to me."

He nodded and they let the silence wash over them. After a moment, he broke the spell. "We didn't bring our bags."

"We can research more tomorrow," she said and then smiled. "Maybe we can practice Occlumency? He's already tried to use it so we shouldn't wait much longer."

He nodded and scooted a little closer to sit cross legged in front of her; their knees brushing slightly. "What did Potter teach you?"

She thought about the lessons and shook her head. "Not much. He said Snape described it as putting up walls. That's what I did earlier, but I burnt out too quickly."

"Snape was teaching Potter?"

"Dumbledore's orders. Voldemort was using his connection with Harry to get information from the Order. Harry was too stubborn to take direction from Snape."

Malfoy took all the information, but his eyes remained glossed over. "We'll come back to that," he said and put his hands his knees. "The first lesson will be an exercise. Potter had the right idea with walls, but those are the hardest to form. The best way to protect yourself is to compartmentalize. Break all of your memories down into categories and file them away like a library. That way, when someone does come in, you can direct them to a specific memory, or simply lock the door."

She let that sink in for a moment and then nodded. "Books. I can handle that."

"May I show you?"

"Yes."

He took a deep breath and she did the same. "Think of a memory. Anything big or small. Something you're okay sharing with me." He thought for a moment. "Preferably nothing with Weasley."

She smiled at his request and let her mind wander.

"Close your eyes."

Her lashes dusted her cheeks and a memory floated to the surface of her mind. She was in the tent. She was huddled on the steps, staring at the lantern. The locket around her neck was drowning her in misery.

Harry was there with a hand stretched out to her. She looked up at him and hesitated. He curled his fingers, beckoning her up. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. He reached for the chain around her neck and lifted the locket.

She let out a breath of air as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. It didn't fill the void of Ron's abandonment, but the dark magic's absence made it sting just a tiny bit less. He put the locket around his own neck and took her hands in his.

Harry was moving backwards, pulling her forward. He stopped in the middle of the tent and she heard the music from the radio. The song filled the air around them and Harry began to move. She stared at him as she resisted, but he smiled at her. He refused to stop and she caved.

Despite herself, she smiled. She focused on the song, on the way Harry spun her clumsily around the tent. She remembered the foreign feeling of laughter bubbling past her lips. For a few moments, they weren't on the run. They weren't alone in a tent searching for pieces of a madman's soul. Ron hadn't abandoned them. He was just outside, taking his turn on watch duty.

The music stopped and she found herself wrapped up in Harry's arms. The reality came back and it was hard to breath. She pulled away and when she looked at Harry, her sorrow had returned. Without a word, she pulled away from him and stepped towards her cot.

As she sat down, she found herself alone in an empty room. There was a book in her hands; one that was open. The page displayed her dance with Harry on a loop. All she could do was sit there and stare at it.

_Close it_.

She looked around for the voice, but she was alone. Slowly, she closed the book with both hands and got to her feet. A shelf appeared before her.

_Shelve it._

She moved forward until she was within reach. Her hand reached up and she placed the book on the shelf. Her fingers lingered on the spine of the book for a moment before it let go and slowly returned to her side. She drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was sitting in the library across from Malfoy. She was breathing slightly harder than normal and so was he. "That's it?" she asked, breaking the moment.

"More or less. Once the books are on the shelves, they stay on the shelf until you consciously make the effort to think about that particular memory. The more organized your mind, the better you'll be. The worse the memory, the harder it will be to contain, but-"

"I get the idea," she said with a nod. "Thank you, Malfoy."

He nodded, but continued to stare at her. She could see the questions in his eyes.

"What?"

"Are you sure there wasn't any truth to Rita Skeeter's claims in Fourth Year about you and Potter?"

Just the mention of Skeeter made Hermione's blood boil. "No. Harry and I have been nothing but friends."

His brows shot up. "I'm not sure who believes that less. You or me."

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself up from the floor. "Believe what you want. He was just trying to cheer me up."

"What was that necklace you were wearing?"

"Dark magic."

"Was it a Horcrux?" he asked, voice low. She remembered having mentioned the word to him the day they met Riddle and he had sounded somewhat familiar with the word then.

"We were hunting them. We found that one, but we didn't have a way to destroy it." She stopped and placed her hand over her chest. Even now, she could still feel the weight of it pressing down on her. "The darkness would seep out into us if we wore it for too long so we took turns." Her eyes flickered over to his and she canted her head to the side. "Do you know what they are?"

"No, but I overheard him say the word once and then you said it."

She looked around the room. "I don't want to talk about it here. I will tell you, just not inside the castle."

He nodded in understanding and clasped his hands behind his back as they stood before one another awkwardly. "Should we just go back to the dorms?"

"I'd like to keep practicing," she said, plucking at her robes with nervous fingers. "Can you show me one more time?"

He hesitated, but then acquiesced with a nod of his head. She grabbed two books off the nearest shelf and transfigured two chairs. Once they were settled, she closed her eyes and conjured up the next memory.


	7. Chapter 7

**SEVEN**

_**Thursday, 4 September 1944**_

They had stayed in the library way past curfew the previous night. He had helped her shelve a few more memories and then she retreated into her own mind to practice on her own. He had dozed off in his chair while reading a book. They made it back to their dorms miraculously without getting caught.

The next morning, Hermione found herself up early again, but this time after getting ready, she went back to her bed and brought out the book she used to communicate with Malfoy. She wrote to him letting him know that she was up and wanted to go to the common room. She was glad when she didn't have to wait long for his response.

She gathered her things and ventured out to find him already perched on one of the black leather sofas. "Good morning," she said, taking a seat next to him.

"Morning."

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Better than last night. How's your head?"

"A little sore."

He sighed. "You did more when you got to your room, didn't you?" Her answer came in the form of wide eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have to allow yourself time to rest, Granger. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how well you're doing, you won't be able to lock that door."

"Okay."

"Promise me you won't push yourself."

"I already said okay!" she snapped and then wrinkled her nose upon her own outburst. "Sorry. I promise I won't burn myself out."

He nodded and then got to his feet. He extended a hand to her and pulled her to her feet as well when she took it. "Come on, we have some time before breakfast. I need some fresh air."

They didn't stray far; only going to the courtyard where he had once been turned into a ferret. Hermione smiled to herself, but didn't say anything as she knew he was still haunted by it. They sat on the first bench they could find and Hermione took in a deep breath of fresh air.

As she looked around, the silence slowly turned to distant sounds of battle. She could hear screams, curses, and shouts. The courtyard before her eyes twisted and turned until images of broken bodies and blood took shape.

She jumped as Malfoy filled her vision. He was on his knees in the grass before her with his hands firmly grasping hers. He was staring up at her as if he knew what she saw. She concentrated on him and slowly, the courtyard returned to normal in her periphery.

"What if there's nothing left to go back to?" she heard herself ask.

"There will be."

"And if there isn't?"

He sighed and got to his feet, pulling her up with him, but not letting go of her hands. "Granger, I need you to breathe. Don't think about the future. Just concentrate on the here and now okay? We haven't even had breakfast yet."

She saw the wavering smile of his lips and found herself transfixed on them. She found herself wondering why they looked so fascinating and why she wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked. She wondered if they had looked this tantalizing each time he hurled that slur her way or if this was something new. Her tongue darted out to wet her own lips and slowly let her gaze lift to his eyes.

He was watching her with a curious expression. The moment she met his gaze, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks and pulled herself away from him. She smoothed the front of the robes and tucked her hair behind her ears more than once. "They should be serving breakfast now," she said and turned away without waiting for him.

* * *

Hermione regretted signing up for Defense the moment the lesson began. She had been glad for automatically adding it to her roster initially and when she met Riddle, she was glad to keep up her learning of the subject. But the first thing out of Professor Merrythought's mouth was, "Has anyone been involved in a duel outside a controlled learning environment?"

As a natural reaction, Hermione's hand shot into the air and Malfoy's barely lifted off the desk. Realizing what she had admitted, she yanked her hand back down and stared at her desk. Images of every life-threatening situation she'd been in over the years flashed before her eyes in a matter of seconds.

"It is no easy task," Merrythought said, giving them a sympathetic smile. "Have you faced Unforgiveables?"

Hermione nodded slowly.

"I'm not going to ask you about the details; if it wasn't a controlled exercise, I'm sure it was traumatic." She turned her attention to the rest of the class. "This year, as NEWTs approach, the lessons will be more practical application than inches of paper. You will switch partners often as you will never face the same person more than once in the real world. In most cases anyway. Today we will continue our work on forum and movements, just like Charms. Next week we will begin dueling. Partner up."

As students partnered up around them, desks began to move out of the way. They found a corner of the room and stood to face each other. "Great, now I get to listen to you tell me about how my form is off," Malfoy teased.

"Well, I have seen you disarmed more than once," she informed him with a small smile of her own. "Maybe you could use a few lessons on form."

"I'm a Malfoy. We ooze graze and poise. I assure you, there is nothing wrong with my form," he said, holding his wand out as if to hurl a spell.

"Not bad," she praised and did the same.

They stood there for a moment with their wands pointed at one another. Hermione's breaths began to come in uneven waves as she thought about the Manor.

He lowered his wand and reached out to lay his hand over hers. Gently he brought her hand down as well and waited until she was breathing normally again before he stepped back.

"I don't think you and I have ever actually dueled," he said.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Breaking my nose twice doesn't count as a duel," he replied.

"Then what would you call it?" she asked, a smirk on her lips.

"A cheap shot."

She snorted loudly, attracting a little attention from nearby pairs of students. "How so?" she asked, crossing her arms.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "How so?" he repeated. "The first time-"

She rolled her eyes. "You clearly didn't take the threat of my wand seriously enough," she said, raising it up to his throat in demonstration. This time, instead of cowering in fear like he had in Third Year, he just went still and watched her carefully. "You just had to gloat when I turned away so I punched your pretty little face." She lowered her wand. "Maybe that was a cheap shot, but it felt really good."

"You thought my face was pretty?" he asked after a moment.

She rolled her eyes again. "Is that really what you're focusing on here?"

"It is a rather good-looking face."

"And yet so easily ruined when you speak."

They stared at one another and Hermione felt butterflies swirling up a storm in her stomach. She realized what she was doing. Flirting. With Draco Malfoy. In class of all places. She cleared her throat and turned her shoulder to him so she could practice her form towards the wall.

He moved to be right behind her. Her body stilled as she felt his right arm stretch out to meet hers. He adjusted her arm slightly while using his knee to nudge at her stance. "Tell me, Granger," he breathed in her ear. "How long have you considered my face pretty?"

Her throat had gone dry and she did her best to ignore him.

"If memory serves you called me foul and loathsome," he continued. His fingers drifted up her arm and she shivered. "When was that no longer the case with you?"

She tore herself away from him only to whirl around and face him. "You still are a foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach, Malfoy," she hissed. "But I never said you were physically unattractive. Just your personality. Which overrides anything else about you."

His reply was cut off by Professor Merrythought announcing to the class that they were to practice a series of hexes at their targets. As she said named the hexes, the dummies appeared before each partnered couple.

They said nothing but the hexes for the remainder of the lesson and by the time it was over, the dummy was nothing but dust and rubble on the classroom floor.

* * *

Neither of them spoke as they went to the library afterwards. For the hour that he was there with her before Ancient Runes, they threw themselves into research. When he left for class, she had taken a much-needed deep breath of relief and closed her books. Alone, she focused on her thoughts and filing them away into little books on shelves like he had taught her.

Her solidarity didn't last long as Agnes slid into the chair across from her. "Is it okay that I sit here?" she asked.

"Of course," Hermione replied.

"That was some display back in Defense," she said, a smirk on her lips.

Hermione sighed. "I got a little carried away with the hexes," she admitted.

"Not that," she laughed with a wave of dismissal. "Of you and Draco."

Hermione flushed and played with the parchment on the desk. "I don't-"

"I thought for sure you'd snog him right there in front of everyone. What's it like?" she asked, leaning forward, a dreamy look in her eyes. "The snogging. If the two of you have that kind of passion for the other I can only-"

"It's fine."

"Fine?" There was doubt in Agnes' eyes and Hermione had to look away. She reminded her of Ginny with her right to the point questions and blunt approach. "There was way too much passion-"

"It's not like that," Hermione protested.

Agnes' eyes went wide. "Have you two not…"

"No." It took all of Hermione's self-control not to make a face at the thought of shagging Malfoy let alone kiss him. It took even more concentration to squash the inner most curiosity at the thought. She wasn't sure which bothered her more; the repulsion or the discovery that it might not be.

She cleared her throat and smiled at Agnes. "To be honest, I've always thought him the world's biggest prat. We were around each other all the time because of our parents, but we couldn't stand one another. He kissed me at the end of the school year and I punched him because I thought it was a joke. He wrote to me all summer trying to convince me that it wasn't. I told him to prove it. To come to Hogwarts with me for Seventh Year, stop being a prat, and that maybe I would consider."

Agnes' eyes were wide as saucers as she ate up every bit of the lie. "Oh, Merlin! You haven't even snogged him properly, have you?"

Hermione shook her head.

"When you do, please make sure to tell me how utterly epic it was! Oh! Please share this with Kalista and Gertrude. We can even help give you some privacy if you'd like," she said, eyes blazing with mischief. "Just say the word and the dorm will be all yours when you need it."

Hermione blushed again and cleared her throat. "That's a long way off, I think."

"After that display I highly doubt it." Her smirk made Hermione's stomach flip again.

"Where are you going?" she asked as Agnes scrambled to her feet. "You just got here."

"I know, but I've just thought of something. I'll see you later, Harmony!"

Hermione watched her leave the library in a flurry and sank back in her chair. She closed her eyes and let her head hang over the back of the chair. She had no idea why she had said any of that to Agnes and now she had to relay the story to Malfoy so that they could guard themselves against whatever it was that Agnes had clearly stormed off to plan.

And then she caught herself thinking of what it would be like to kiss Malfoy. She wondered what his lips would feel like pillowed against her own. The way his hands would feel as they tugged at her hair. She wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked and bit her lip as she fingers curled with the want to see for herself.

Realizing that she was fantasizing about kissing Draco sodding Malfoy, she straightened herself in her chair, filed that thought into a book, and sent it hurtling towards the dark recesses of her mind. After, she cracked open the book on time travel again and devoured the words on the pages before her. They needed to get home before either of them did something stupid.


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

_**Thursday, 3 September 1944**_

Draco had left the library a little early. He had to get away from Granger in order to clear his head. He still wasn't sure what had possessed him to touch her or say the things that he had to her in class. He had not been expecting her to confess a physical attraction to him nor was he expecting to find himself liking that she had.

They had only been stuck in the past for three days and already he had gone from wanting to throttle her to wanting to kiss her. Only an hour ago he had found himself wanting to do both at the same time.

It had been all he could do not to offer to show her ways that his mouth could be useful other than closed when she had made her comment.

He scrubbed his face with his hands and banished the thought. He then focused his attention on the lecture from Professor McFadden. He still wasn't even sure why he had signed up for Ancient Runes. He had told Granger that it might help with their return, but in truth, he had just written it down without thinking.

He considered walking out of the class and going to Dippet to ask to drop the course. He would explain that he hadn't meant to pick this one and switch himself to Astronomy. It would be a good cover so that she wouldn't be alone with Riddle. Then again, this was his only reprieve from both of them and he wasn't sure he wanted to give that up.

The black leather book she had spelled warmed the spot on the back of his hand that rested against it. He opened it up carefully and read the message in Granger's hurried scrawl.

_I had to make some adjustments to our cover story._

He narrowed his eyes as he waited for her to elaborate and scowled when nothing more came. _Such as? _he wrote back.

_After lunch._

_Why not now? Isn't this why you created this bloody link? What sort of romantic gesture did you allude to this time, Granger?_

He could practically hear her huffing in annoyance from here and he found himself smirking as he waited for her response.

_After lunch,_ she wrote again.

_What, Granger? I'm sensing a retreat in your Gryffindor courage. Two days you've been a Slytherin and-_

_Honestly, Malfoy,_ she wrote before he could finish. _Pay attention to your lecture._

He scowled at her scold and shut his book. And it was just in time, it seemed. Students were moving about the room, but he was saved the trouble of admitting he wasn't listening when a fellow Slytherin slid into the empty seat next to him.

"Malory, right?" he asked, holding out his hand.

He nodded. The boy looked familiar, but he couldn't place him. "Sorry, I-"

"It's alright. You've seen a plethora of new faces these past few days," he said with a smile as he unpacked his bag. "Catankerus Nott. But please, call me Kerus."

Draco studied him a little closer. There was some resemblance to Theo as far as he could tell. He hadn't heard the name before and wondered if it was maybe his grandfather or a great uncle. The rest of the familiarity lie in that he was one of those that seemed to always be around Riddle.

"We have Potions together," he said, vaguely remember seeing him in the class.

He smiled and nodded. "Oh good, you do remember," he said. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a Malfoy?"

"Yes," he said quickly. "Professor Dumbledore said I looked like someone who graduated last year. Abraxan?"

"Abraxas," Kerus corrected. "He was a friend of mine. He would be very fascinated to know about a doppelganger from Durmstrang."

Malfoy inclined his head. "As am I." He looked around the room again and noticed that Professor McFadden had retreated to her desk and the newly paired students were all talking amongst themselves as they poured over their books.

"Ah, yes. I took the liberty of saving you some floundering since Harmony isn't here to be your partner. I hope that's alright? We'll be paired for the rest of the term."

"Not a problem. Thank you."

Kerus was the opposite of Theo. All he did was talk throughout the lesson. He didn't seem to care too much that Draco didn't speak as much. By the end of the lesson, he found himself invited to sit with Kerus and his friends at lunch. By the time he realized that meant Riddle, it was too late to take back his acceptance.

Halfway to the Great Hall, the pair found themselves meeting with Riddle and a handful of others. He recognized their faces from knowing their descendants and wondered exactly how he had found himself in this situation again. It was as if nothing had changed; as if he were still at home in the Manor with the Dark Lord calling the shots.

"Riddle, I hope it's alright that I invited Malory to join us," Kerus said as they approached. "I thought it would be seeing as how you share a dorm."

Riddle met his gaze and gave a slight nod of his head. "Of course. Mister Malory is always welcome. However, I am sure he would rather spend his lunch with Miss Granger."

"She'll understand," he heard himself say.

Riddle's smile was short lived as a round of introductions came Draco's way. Before he knew it, he was walking into the Great Hall surrounded by Death Eaters.

Nothing had changed at all.

* * *

Hermione went to the Great Hall by herself, expecting Malfoy to find her there. She was annoyed with his responses and as much as she needed to tell him about her conversation with Agnes, she half hoped he bailed on lunch with her again.

The reality was much worse.

Instead of not showing up at all, he came in a group of Slytherins. More specifically, a group led by Tom Riddle. A group that she knew for a fact would soon turn into his first Death Eaters. That was if they hadn't done so already.

Her eyes connected with Riddle's first and he simply held her gaze for a moment and then looked away as if he hadn't even truly seen her. Then her eyes fell on Malfoy. There was a small bit of fear mixed with something else in his grey gaze. She watched as he followed them to the center of the Slytherin table and sat down.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet.

Without a word or a backwards glance over her shoulder, she left the Great Hall without having a bite of her food. She walked as fast as her feet could carry her without running. By the time she got to the seventh-floor landing, she was breathless from the exertion and the fury in her veins.

She had seen the change in him since Sixth Year. She knew from the little snippets of things Harry told her and things she had witnessed that he had never wanted to be a Death Eater. That he was a victim of his environment. She had seen it plain as day on his face in the Room of Requirement before they landed themselves in the past.

Even some of the things he had said to her about his fear of Voldemort made her feel as though she had been right all along. That despite what she said aloud to save face, she truly believed he wasn't all bad inside. That there was a part of him that longed to be out of that world.

Which made her feel like a fool when he strode in there with _them _looking as though he belonged and was happy to be there.

She slammed the Room of Requirement door with more force than she intended and screamed in frustration at the piles and piles of lost things.

With her outburst out of the way, she took a deep breath and calmed her rage. When she was back to normal, she shook her shoulders and surveyed the area before her. They could research time travel and all the theories relating to it, but without knowing how exactly they had traveled, she was sure they would remain here forever.

Throwing herself into her research, she began to comb through the room, trying to piece together the events of their attempt at escape. She only hoped that the device that brought them was already here otherwise… She shook her head and swallowed around a tight throat. It had to be here; it just had to.

And she was determined to find it.

* * *

Her obsession had nearly made her late to Astronomy. It was the first time she had ever been late to a class and chalked it up to her severe misfortune that the last remaining seat was next to Riddle. She squared her shoulders and slid into the seat next to him without hesitation.

"I'm sorry, Professor," she said when Professor Daedalus stopped his lecture. "I got turned around." At least she could play the new card.

He smiled understandingly. "No worries, Miss Granger. You haven't missed much. Mister Riddle can catch you up in a moment."

She nodded and quietly began unpacking her things. She tried her best to listen to Daedalus speak, but it was near impossible with Riddle's presence burning into her side. She was more focused on the mental door Malfoy had shown her.

"Next time I will be sure to escort you so you don't get lost," Riddle said quietly as he leaned closer to her.

"No need. I just got caught on the stairs," she returned, eyes focused on Daedalus.

"Please proceed to study the chart on page 455 with your partner. It will be a clue as to your first assignment," Daedalus concluded his lecture.

Conversation that hardly pertained to Astronomy filled the room, but Hermione could barely hear it over the woosh of blood in her ears from keeping her defenses up.

"We will be partnered for the remainder of the term, Miss Granger. I do hope you see no problem with that."

Hermione let go of her shields, unable to keep them up any longer without passing out. She swallowed and turned her head to look at Riddle. He was smiling at her and there was something about him that, while still dark and sinister underneath, seemed a bit more relaxed than usual.

She gave a little nod. "None," she replied.

The smile reached his eyes as he opened his textbook. "It will give me an opportunity to show you that I mean you no harm."

She bit her tongue to keep from saying something she would regret. So instead of saying anything, she gave a quick nod and turned her attention to the chart they were supposed to be analyzing. She was relieved when he said nothing else and studied quietly beside her.

Before the end of class, Daedalus addressed them all once more. "I am about to circulate a sign-up sheet. Each pair will choose a time either Friday or Saturday nights to work on their observational project for the term. Please choose wisely as you will not be able to switch. You and your partner may leave once you have chosen your time slot."

He placed the piece of parchment on the desk between Hermione and Riddle first.

Hermione stilled in her seat as Riddle took the parchment and looked over the times available. "Any preference?" he asked.

She shook her head. No matter what time or day he picked, she would be alone with him in the Astronomy tower for an hour or so each week. Dread crept up her spine despite her best efforts to squash her fears.

"How about Friday's at midnight?" he asked. "It is the witching hour; most planets and stars will be easiest to see."

"Fine."

Riddle moved his quill over the parchment and then handed it off to the desk to his right. "We can discuss what our project will be either tonight or tomorrow during our first observation," he said as they began to pack up their bags. "I will meet you in the common room at eleven fifty on those nights."

"Can't wait," she said and then took her leave of the classroom not caring if he followed her or not.


	9. Chapter 9

**NINE**

**_Thursday, 4 September 1944_**

She had deposited her bag by the door the moment she entered the Room of Requirement. From there, she set about retracing her steps from the night with the fire and comparing it to what she had already discovered earlier. She only called it a day when she couldn't ignore the growl from her stomach any longer.

When she exited the room she did a double take at the darkness of the halls. She waved her wand to discover that it was near curfew. She muttered a curse under her breath as her stomach growled again. That meant she had missed dinner too.

With a sigh, she made her way towards the kitchens. She hated the idea of asking the House Elves to do anything more than they already did, but she had missed two meals today. It would be a very uncomfortable night if she forced herself to wait until breakfast.

"What can we get the Missus?" an elf asked the moment she slipped past the entrance.

"Are there any leftovers from dinner?" she asked. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Anything the Missus wants!"

"Pumpkin soup?" she asked hopefully.

"Coming!"

Hermione shifted on her feet and then sat at the little table off to the corner away from the simmering cauldrons. She reached into her bag for her notes to study and hissed at the burning sensation she got from the book instead. She took it out of her bag and opened it.

_Granger, where the hell are you? Riddle said you were late to class._

_Granger, I'm in the library._

_Granger, what the fuck? You missed lunch and now you've missed dinner too._

_Granger, the last person to see you was Riddle. No one else has seen you since you left Astronomy. Please answer me so I know you're not dead._

She stared at each of the messages until the page became blank and the book turned cold again.

She contemplated whether or not she would answer for a moment. A sigh passed her lips and she fished in her bag for a quill and her inkpot. _I'm alive. Thanks for your concern. I'll see you in the morning._

The book began to warm up again the moment she closed it, but she stashed it back into her bag without reopening it. She didn't really want to know his response. She just wanted to get some food and then head back to the dorm to sleep.

A bowl of pumpkin soup along with a hunk of bread and a goblet of water appeared before her. She made herself eat it slowly lest she sick from stuffing her face. Though, truth be told, all she wanted to do was pick up her bowl and pour it down her throat.

When her bowl was empty, a House Elf appeared to clear the table. She thanked those that were around her; her words falling on deaf ears. With a sigh, she shouldered her bag and took her leave of the kitchens.

She took her time wandering the halls on her way to the dungeons. Even as she neared the ever-moving staircases, she stared longingly up towards the eighth floor where she knew Gryffindor's common room to be. She desperately wanted to climb through the tunnel behind the Fat Lady and cozy up at the hearth she was familiar with. She closed her eyes against her tears and then continued on.

It was when she crossed the main hall that she nearly screamed. An arm circled her waist as a hand clamped over her mouth. She struggled against whoever it was that held her as they dragged her from the hall into one of the classrooms. She bit down on the hand and reared her head back.

The person growled and shoved her away, but remained blocking the door. "What the fuck, Granger?"

"Malfoy!?" she panted, her hand landing over her heart as if to press it back into her chest. "You can't just attack me like that!"

"Serves you right for making me worry," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear to Merlin, Granger, if you broke my nose again…"

"Then stop putting yourself in situations that require me to do so!" she snapped. "It's past curfew. We need to get back."

He blocked her path to the door. "Not until you talk to me."

She straightened her spine and tipped her chin in the air hoping to convey confidence she didn't quite have at the moment. "Unlike you, I have nothing to say to Death Eaters."

He muttered all sorts of vile things under his breath before he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "They aren't Death Eaters. Not yet."

"Malfoy-"

He held up one hand to cut her off. "Can you just let me explain? Please? Without interruption from you."

"Fine."

"I didn't join them. I have no intention of ever doing so. I would rather die than be subjected to Riddle's leadership ever again," he said. Hermione wanted to believe him, but he was good at playing his part. At the moment, she didn't know which part it was; the Malfoy she thought he was or the Malfoy everyone else seemed to think he was. "My partner for Ancient Runes is Cantankerus Nott."

"Related to Theo?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Not sure if it's his grandfather or some other relative, but definitely related. He invited me to hang out for lunch and I accepted without realizing what it meant. Riddle wasn't too keen on my being there. The conversation was rather guarded and I don't think he'll be opening up a spot for me in his inner circle anytime soon."

She nodded, but kept her lips pressed tightly together. She couldn't figure him out and it was driving her mad.

"I promise, Granger. I'm not vying for that position. Been there, done that. Will never do it again." He took a step forward and stopped when she flinched at his approach.

"You looked right at home with the lot of them."

"It felt familiar, but I assure you, it was far from comfortable." His gaze softened as he unclenched his fists at his sides. "You just up and left when we walked in." He shrugged. "I knew it looked bad, but I thought we could talk about it after Astronomy. I waited in the library and I wrote you, but you never showed. I ran into Riddle in the common room and he told me that you were late to class and that you left before him. Still, you didn't answer. Then you missed dinner… Where were you?" he demanded to know.

"I was in the Room of Requirement. I stared searching for the last place we were that night. So far I haven't seen any doors other than the one at the entrance," she replied and then shifted her stance. "It did look really bad, Malfoy," she added, her voice low.

"I'm doing what I know how to do, Granger. Survive. I adapt to make sure that I keep on living. I expect no less from you." He took a breath of relief as the tension between them ebbed a little. "Earlier you wrote that you had to alter our cover a little. Will you tell me now?"

She nodded and relayed what she had told Agnes. By the time she was done speaking, she had lowered her gaze to the floor, but he could see her blush from where he stood.

"You really are good with cover stories," he said.

She looked up at him. "The story might be good, but I don't think it's going to work. We aren't even acquaintances let alone friends. We were foolish in thinking we could pretend to be."

"We've only been here three days, Granger. Three bloody days. That's not enough time to clear the air that brewed between us over the last seven years. You know that."

"But-"

"And just because you're scared that you flirted with me doesn't mean you get to turn tail and hide." She scowled at him as her blush renewed. He couldn't help but smirk. "Ah, that's what you're the most upset about. It wasn't the flirting; it was that you enjoyed it."

"Fuck off," she snapped and tried to bolt for the door again.

His hand shot up to stop her; his fingers curling around her bicep. "You're not the only one who thinks the other is physically attractive. Despite their personalities," he quipped.

She glowered at him, but didn't say a word.

"And I did hear your roommates at lunch mention some sort of plan. Judging by the way they were side-eyeing me and giggling like little children, whatever it is, it has to do with your latest story."

"It isn't about the flirting," she bit out after a moment and then yanked herself out of his grasp. "It would be different if Ron and I weren't…"

"Granger, we already agreed that whatever happened here would be forgotten when we get home. And I'm sure even Weasley would understand that a few snogs from me kept someone like Riddle away from you."

She bit her lip to keep from screaming. He was right and it was maddening.

"And now you have a bunch of Slytherin females plotting a way to get us to snog for the first time like there's no tomorrow in a way that's sure to be on display for the masses."

He moved closer to her until she felt the wall against her back. "What are you doing?" she asked as he reached up to cup her jaw.

"If we get this out of the way now, you can go back to your dorm and tell your roommates about this. Then they can call off their plan and we can carry on as we were."

She pulled her head back as much as she could and turned her face upwards. "I can't…"

"Relax, Granger, it's just a kiss."

"I know that," she snapped. She took a deep breath and lowered her face until she could meet his gaze. His eyes were raging storm clouds as the corners of her lips tugged into a smirk. "Are you sure you're not just making an excuse to kiss me?"

His body tensed and his eyes narrowed. "Please, if anyone wants a kiss here, it's you."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Right back at you."

He pressed himself into her even more and dipped his head to her ear. His breath tickled her skin and she couldn't help but shudder; gooseflesh prickling her skin. Slowly, he moved, his skin ghosting over hers until their lips hovered with very little space between them. Hermione could feel her chest constricting from the tightness of his hold as the anticipation made her skin tingle.

And when her lips parted to inhale, the gap closed.

Their mouths clashed together like two hurricanes over raging seas. Their hands roamed anywhere they could; each touch burning with need. Their mouths moved as one and he gasped when she caught his lip between her teeth and bit down hard. She used the moment to slip her tongue into his mouth. His snaked out to greet hers, groaning at the taste of her.

She broke it off first by abruptly turning her head to the side. She turned her face upwards again and he buried his in the crook of her neck. They stayed like that as they both panted for air in the classroom.

"We should go," she whispered.

He laughed; his breath hot on her neck. "I'm not going anywhere for a few minutes, Granger."

"Why?" she asked and then stilled when she felt the answer to her question on her hip. He felt her neck heat up immediately as her blush rose to all the way to her forehead.

Slowly he pushed away from her and turned his back to her. He scrubbed at his face as he grasped for thoughts of any kind that would make the blood rush back up to his brain. It took several minutes before he was ready to face her again, but even as he turned around, he knew he actually wouldn't be able to look at her. He kept his eyes on the ground as he gestured towards the door.

They left together in silence and he was grateful for her tact. At least he was until she ruined the moment by breaking the silence in front of the common room entrance.

"Malfoy-"

"Please, Granger; not now. We can talk tomorrow."

She held his gaze and he smirked even more at the fire that swirled in her eyes. Whatever she had been about to say when her lips parted was interrupted by another voice.

"Miss Granger, Mister Malory. Do you realize it's past curfew?"

They both went still at the sound of Riddle's voice. He was coming towards the common room as if just finishing his round of patrols for the evening.

"Yes," he answered, his eyes never leaving Riddle's.

"Kalista told me you had yet to return since this morning, Miss Granger and Mister Malory did express concern for not having seen you since Defense. I went looking for you when neither of you turned up for lights out. I wouldn't want either of you to get detention. Come along now. Off to bed."

They followed Riddle into the common room and paused where the dorms split off. They stared at each other, not caring that Riddle was there watching them with a guarded expression. "Goodnight, Granger."

"Goodnight," she replied and then turned away from them.

He watched her disappear down the right corridor and then turned to follow Riddle to their room.

"I won't report you, but I do hope the two of you don't make sneaking out a habit. We're supposed to be here for education, not fraternization," Riddle lectured.

"I appreciate the concern, but I really don't care what you think."

Riddle stared at him with an unreadable expression. "You have made that very clear, Mister Malory. I just wonder what I did to give you such a spiteful impression of me."

"I've seen the way you look at her, Riddle," he said, warning clear in his tone. "And I don't like it. She's mine."

"She is no one's but her own," Riddle snapped, taking a step forward. Draco had to force himself to hold is ground. "I know men like you. Men that hold women like her back; that think of her as nothing more than a prize to be won. She deserves better than you."

The laugher that tumbled past his lips was a surprise to both of them. "I know damn well that I don't deserve her, but I assure you that if all the men in the world were dead except for you, she still wouldn't even look your way twice."

Riddle said nothing, but Malfoy saw it in the way his jaw clenched and the way his eyes flashed as if to say, _We'll see_.

Malfoy knew how the Dark Lord was when he was determined. He could see the same determination now in Riddle's face. He swallowed hard and wished he could take back his provocation. The challenge went unspoken between them as they retired to their sides of the room, but Malfoy knew it was there. He could feel it in the Dark Mark on his arm.

He spent all night awake, staring at the canopy of his bed coverings, wondering if he had what it took to keep her safe from someone like Riddle.


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

**_Friday, 5 September 1944_**

When Hermione emerged from the bathroom the following morning, her roommates were just getting up for the morning. When they saw her, they waited a full moment before pouncing on her. They told her how worried they were when she didn't come back before curfew. She was surprised to hear how worried Malfoy had been when he approached them asking if she was in her dorm.

They hounded her for every detail and she gave it to them. She had already spent half the night lying awake replaying the incident in her mind. Half of her was ready to do it again while the other was berating her for betraying Ron in such a manner.

When it was time to get to breakfast, they told her about the little plan they had tried to come up with and that they would call it off for now. Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she followed them out of the dorm and down the corridor. She hadn't thought about what it would be like to see Malfoy again.

When she entered the common room she was a little taken aback to see him with Riddle and his group again. Their eyes met and she felt her stomach flip. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but he was right back where he had said he didn't want to be. And he was looking at her as if nothing had really changed between them.

Her gaze slid from his to Riddle's. As usual, his gaze was intense as it swept over her face as if she kept him enthralled. She squared her shoulders and marched up to the group. "Good morning," she said to them.

A few of them ignored her; they might not even know her blood status, but she knew it was also because of her gender. She could only recall Bellatrix as a Death Eater. If there were more females that had taken the mark, they never crossed paths. Some of them mumbled hello as well. Riddle nodded at her. "Will you be eating breakfast with us?"

_Us_.

Hermione shook her head. "No thank you. I'm going to eat with my roommates. I just need a word with M-Draco first," she said, giving him a thin smile. "I don't want to intrude on your boys club."

He inclined his head and then gestured for his friends to take their leave. "Then I shall see you in Charms, Miss Granger. Draco, we will see you in a moment."

Soon after that, the common room was empty except for Hermione and Malfoy. The moment they were alone, Hermione's lips parted, ready to rip him a new one. He sensed that was the case and held up a hand as he glared at her.

"Before you blow your gasket, hear me out."

She folded her arms in front of her and tapped her foot. "I suggest you hurry."

He gestured to his left arm where she knew the Mark lie. "This means that I have to obey his every whim. The magic that created it doesn't care that I got this in the future. Last night, when he and I got back to our dorm, he made it very clear that he doesn't care that I've labeled you my girlfriend. He took that as a challenge."

Hermione felt as though the floor had disappeared from beneath her feet. Malfoy's eyes were simmering with rage that she knew wasn't directed at her.

"This morning he told me that he thought I would make a great addition to his group. That I got along swimmingly with the others and with my background being Durmstrang, we probably had more in common. He said that he could feel the Dark Magic in me and insisted I take him up on his offer." He paused and tapped his forearm beneath his sleeve.

Fear gripped as a thought occurred. "So if he tells you to break up with me…"

"I wouldn't have a choice," he confirmed.

She shook her head. "He won't." Malfoy scoffed and began to speak, but she rushed on to continue. "You said he took it as a challenge. Even if he did know that he had that kind of power over you, it would be too easy."

He sighed and scrubbed at his face. "That doesn't make it better," he groused.

"I know," she said and shook her head. "But like we talked about, maybe this is a good way to get closer to him; to learn. If this is the way we have to survive, then so be it. You join his inner circle and I'll endure his obsession."

He groaned. "This is like Sixth Year all over again. I don't want this, Granger. Potter was supposed to win and this was all supposed to be over."

"And I want his attention?" she asked, taking a step back from him.

"I didn't say that," he snapped, glaring at her. "I'm just sick of the games."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "We should head to breakfast before I miss a third meal." He gestured for her to lead the way. When they were out of the common room, she told him about her morning. "I told the girls. You were right. They called off their plan."

"Good."

She paused once they had reached the Great Hall. "Are we going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" he asked, eyes searching hers with a dash of amusement.

She swallowed and shook her head before looking at the floor. "Never mind," she muttered, feeling foolish. "I'll see you in Transfiguration," she added and ducked into the Great Hall.

She put on a brave, happy face and surprised her roommates by sitting with them. They accepted her right away and launched into all of their usual gossip.

* * *

The morning went pretty much as it had on Wednesday. They spent an hour in Transfiguration listening to Dumbledore and practicing the skill. On their way out, she reconfirmed their tea date in his office the following day. They found themselves in Charms later that morning, going through the same motions. Only this time, Malfoy was more or less paying attention and didn't ditch her after class.

Instead of going to the library between classes, they went to the Room of Requirement so she could explain what she had been doing there the day before. Since he was the one that had found the door, she had hoped it would increase their chances at finding it, but when lunch came, they were still unsuccessful.

He ate lunch with her despite Kerus stopping by and asking if he was joining them. They took their usual spot at the end of the Slytherin table where they mostly sat in silence. The little conversation they did have came from her about their lessons to which he only made snarky comments.

Hermione was relieved when Potions was uneventful. This time, she and Malfoy worked well from start to finish. To ensure there wasn't a repeat performance in the supply closet, he went to collect the ingredients and even took over most of the work. She let him and found herself enjoying this side of him.

After Potions they took their bags back to the common room and, much like last time, were roped into a conversation with their fellow housemates. It carried on into dinner until finally they broke away to go to the library until curfew.

"I think we should work on your Occlumency," Malfoy said as they found their usual secluded spot. "Especially since you're to meet Riddle at the Astronomy tower tonight."

Hermione stilled with her hand on a book. She had nearly forgotten about that. "We need to get as much research as we can in before we speak to Dumbledore tomorrow," she argued.

"We'll have all morning to do that. Besides, we've looked at every book you can think of already. The only ones we haven't are the ones in there," he said, pointing towards the Restricted Section.

"I'm sure we'll get in there soon."

He smirked at her. "You're hoping Dumbledore will give you a pass, aren't you?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

He snorted. "Right. I forgot who I was talking to. Dumbledore will do anything you ask of him, I'm sure."

She stared at him with enough pity that he glared at her. "What?" he asked, clearly irritated.

She shook her head and tore her gaze away from him. "We should check out all the books that we can and after breakfast we can go outside. Some time outside the castle will do us both some good, I think. We'll get our notes and a list of questions for Dumbledore tomorrow."

"Will you tell me about Horcruxes?" he asked.

She tapped the spine of the book she had taken from the shelf and nodded. "Yes."

He nodded, but continued to stare at her.

"Out with it," she said without looking up from the book.

"Riddle and his friends are having some sort of get together tomorrow after dinner. It came up when Kerus asked if I was coming."

"What kind of get together?" she asked.

There was worry on his face as he shook his head. "They didn't say, but I doubt it will be about assignments and girls." His tongue snaked out to wet his lips and Hermione's eyes tracked the movement. It wasn't until his tongue disappeared that she realized she had forgotten to breathe. When her eyes jumped up to his she let out a tiny breath of relief that his had closed.

"Maybe you'll get lucky and it will be about assignments," she said, looking back down at her book.

She could feel a searing heat creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks as he peered at her through narrowed eyes. Her thoughts were already running rampant imagining them talking about girls. She wondered if she would be brought up. What would he say about her? What would-

She snapped the book closed and jumped to her feet. She pushed back with as much mental force as she could muster and glared at him. "You do not have permission to be in there, Malfoy!" she hissed.

"At least you noticed."

"Of course I noticed!"

He looked around and saw a couple of heads turned their way. "Calm down, Granger. You're making a scene."

She grabbed her book and marched over to the shelf she had plucked it from. She roughly shoved it back into place and moved to leave, but he was there to block her path. "Move, Malfoy."

"What bothers you more; the fact that I won't talk about it or that fact that it's all you've been thinking about all day?"

"Talk about what?" she challenged, echoing his words from that morning. "I simply can't recall anything worth thinking about all day that would involve you."

He gave her a thoughtful look and she jumped a little when his hand came up to play with the ends of her hair. He was staring at his fingers, watching as he continuously curled and uncurled a cluster of strands around his index finger. Slowly, his eyes traveled up until they locked with hers and she heard her breath hitch. He held her gaze for a moment and then pulled his hand away before shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing at, Malfoy, but I don't like it. You kissed me so that I had some reference material to stop teenage girls from making a big deal out of it," she said, pressing herself closer to him so she could lower her voice even more. "But this is still a fake relationship. We can work on being acquaintances, but we'll never be more than that."

He glared at her, but he didn't say a word.

"And stay out of my head unless you have permission to be there," she said as she pushed past him. She shouldered him, knocking him into the bookcase as she went.


	11. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN**

_**Friday, 5 September 1944**_

Hermione had gone back to the common room right away. She hadn't even waited to see if Malfoy followed her or not. She was fuming by the time she got to her dorm and threw herself onto the bed. She stared at the top of her canopy, thinking of all the ways she should have hexed him instead of walking away.

Eventually, her thoughts had turned from anger to the reason behind it. She found herself reliving the kiss; imagining the way his lips felt as they moved against hers. She shuddered as she remembered the way his arousal had felt pressed against her hip.

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced away the images. They went away, only to be replaced by her kiss with Ron. At the time, the kiss had felt as natural as if she were breathing; as if it were the very thing she needed to live. Now, looking back on it, it was nothing. Nothing compared to the way Malfoy had made her feel.

She cast an extra silencing charm for good measure before turning over and screaming into her pillow. Her scream turned into a sob as she thought of her friends; the ones that were in the distant future with no idea of where she was.

She didn't even realize when the thoughts had turned into dreams and she woke with a start. She groped around in the dark for her wand and waved it to reveal the time. She had a little over an hour before she needed to meet Riddle in the common room. With a sigh, she pushed herself out of bed and ducked into the loo before her roommates saw her. She wasn't sure if they were awake or in the room, but she wasn't about to let any of them spot her in this condition.

She did a double take at the sight of herself in the mirror.

Her hair was wild and frizzy; much like it was in the early years of school. Her eyes were swollen and red. It wouldn't take much more than a sideways glance for someone to know that she had been crying. There were even dried tears that had crusted on her cheeks and the sides of her eyes.

She used her magic to freshen up, but nothing she did could erase the sadness from her eyes.

With a sigh, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the common room. As much as she wanted to stay in her dorm, she knew she was less likely to repeat her emotional outcry if she were in a place where people could see her.

She paused at the sight of Malfoy on the couch closest to the fire. He was sitting with his feet propped up on the coffee table with a book in his hands. His eyes lifted to hers for a moment, but if he realized her plight, he gave no indication as his eyes went right back down to his book.

She inhaled deeply and took a seat on the large wingback chair opposite him and dug into her bag for her Astronomy text. She was sure she wouldn't read one word, but she was at least going to pretend.

The silence lasted for all of fifteen minutes at best before Hermione snapped her book closed and glared at him. "Is there a reason you're not in bed?"

He shrugged, keep his focus on the book. "Not tired."

"I don't need your protection, Malfoy."

"You've made it quite clear you want nothing from me, Granger. But don't worry. I'm just here to read." His hand slowly came up to turn the page and Hermione felt her anger flare.

"Let me guess, you'll still be reading when I return?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders and Hermione scowled. She opened her book again with a huff and tried to focus on the chart. A few more minutes went by before she looked up towards the corridor leading to the boys' dormitory. She swallowed at the prospect of seeing Riddle joining them soon. It was starting to become a reality that she would be alone with him.

"Do you have your book?" Malfoy asked.

It broke Hermione out of her thoughts and she looked at him. He was looking at her this time. She nodded.

"Good. Keep it out."

She held her tongue. She wanted to tell him that she didn't need him, but as time ticked down, she realized that she did. "I will."

He nodded and the common room door opened. Riddle and the male Fifth Year Prefect entered the room. The Prefect waved goodnight at them and made his way to his dorm. Hermione got to her feet as Malfoy turned back to his book. Only this time, his relaxed pretense was gone; replaced by tension that was only ever caused by Riddle.

"Ah, good. I was hoping not to have to wake you," Riddle said with a smile. "Draco, I am surprised you are up as well."

"That is the general consensus," he muttered.

Hermione got to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"I just need to retrieve my bag," Riddle said and turned to leave.

Malfoy got to his feet as well. He tugged a piece of parchment from a random spot in the book and used it keep his place before he set it down on the arm of the couch. Hermione smiled, glad he didn't dog-ear the page like Ron and Harry were prone to doing. It was her biggest pet peeve.

"Will you be up when I get back?" she asked.

"As if I could sleep knowing you're alone with him," he said, his voice low as he stepped towards her. "It's not too late to ask Dippet to drop Astronomy."

She shook her head and tucked some curls behind her ears. "We'll see how tonight goes. I'll write you if I need to. Just…" Her voice trailed off; she wasn't even sure what she meant to say. She was saved from having to think of it as Riddle reappeared in the common room with his bag. Hermione swallowed and stepped into Malfoy, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Draco."

Malfoy's eyes dilated as he watched her with curiosity. She waved as she followed Riddle out of the common room and into the hall.

"Do your patrols run this late every night?" she asked as they began to walk.

"Not usually, but students get very excited for the weekend," he replied. "I find the most rule breakers on Friday and Saturday nights."

Hermione nodded; it made sense. The Hogwarts that she knew was like that as well.

"Combined with the first weekend of the school year means more culprits to be found than ever."

"Do you turn them in for wrong doing or do you let some slide?" She wasn't sure why she was trying to make conversation with him. She supposed it was better than a strange silence. At least her emotional outburst earlier was keeping her too drained to even be fearful of his presence. It was there, lingering beneath the surface, but it wasn't outright like it usually was.

He shrugged as they took the first stair case. "Depends on who I find and what they are doing." She saw him watching her as they ascended. "You would be surprised the secrets this castle has to offer at night."

His words made her shiver. She nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. She knew full well what kind of secrets the castle had to offer. Particularly one large one that lived in a secret chamber. One that was alive and well here in this time.

Neither one of them spoke again until they reached the observation deck of the Astronomy tower. They unpacked what they needed to and Riddle waved his wand to sanitize the telescope. "You can never be too sure who is carrying what germs," he said as he caught her watching.

She smiled. "That is true. When I was eight, there was an outbreak of pink eye at my school. It spread like Fiendfyre." She stopped with her hand in her bag as she realized what she had said. More that she had said it so casually in front of him.

"You were educated before Durmstrang?" he asked.

"Mmm," she said and sat down on the stone floor to pick up her textbook. "You said we could discuss ideas for our project. Any ideas what you'd like to study?"

She held her breath as he stared at her, but then let it out with relief when he let it drop. "I was thinking we could focus on the moon."

"The moon?" she repeated. "Half the class-"

"Will be focused on the full moon and its strong connection to the wizarding world," he interrupted with a smug smile. "But no one ever focuses on the new moon. The end of the lunar cycle is a key component for a vast array of potioneering and complicated spell work. If we work this from the right angle, Daedalus cannot give us anything less than top marks," he concluded.

Hermione nodded. Academically, she wanted something obscure; something no one else would have thought of until she had brought it up. In reality, it was kind of nice to have something where the information was readily available. There wasn't going to be much time to research it anyway.

"Sounds good," she said, looking up at the sky. "When was the last new moon anyway?"

"The first," he replied. "Just a few days ago. The moon is on its waxing cycle back to the gibbous phase."

Hermione made a note of that on her parchment. She reached for her textbook again and flipped it open to the chapter about the moon cycles. With a sigh, she closed it rather quickly. "I spend most of my time in the library; I'll check out some books and do the research."

"At Durmstrang, did you find yourself doing all the leg work for your partners?"

She smiled a little as she thought of Ron and Harry. "It's possible."

"You will come to appreciate that we might be matched in academia. I am aware that you spend your free time after Astronomy with Draco. Perhaps one of those days we can meet for research?"

It was strange to hear him say Malfoy's first name. As if they were friends now. "What about before? We have that hour break after Defense and then he has Ancient Runes. I don't have anything before lunch. Do you?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, as if debating whatever it was that he did insignificant enough to blow off with her. He smiled and shook his head. "Thursday would be best for me."

She nodded and then stepped up to the telescope.

"May I ask about your dueling experience?"

She stilled and kept her eye pressed against the telescope even though it was closed. "What do you mean?"

"In class the other day, Professor Merrythought asked if anyone had dueling experience outside of a controlled one. You and Draco both raised your hand." She slowly stepped away from the telescope and turned to find him closer behind her than she thought. "May I ask what happened?"

"You may," she replied. "But I don't feel like talking about it. They aren't exactly fond memories."

"It must have been quite the ordeal," he said, tipping his head to the side. "But if it is fear you feel towards them, you should know that it is always better to speak of your fears. For fear-"

"Of a name increases fear of the thing itself," she finished, tilting her chin up to hold her ground. "Trust me, I have no problems facing my fears head on."

He let out a slow chuckle. "Yes, it would appear so. After all, you are doing a marvelous job of not fearing me tonight," he said, stepping forward.

Hermione moved out of the way and watched him as he took over the telescope. "It takes far too much energy to be afraid. You're simply not worth the toll." It was more or less the truth. She was sure the fear would return tomorrow after she'd slept off her episode from earlier, but at this very moment, she couldn't care less if she showed fear for Tom Riddle right now or not.

He stepped away from the telescope and took a seat on the floor, using the wall of the tower to rest his back on. Hermione followed suit, leaving a fair gap between them. They both pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and she used her book she'd linked with Malfoy's to write on.

For the remainder of their hour, they plotted the gist of their project and made notes about what they needed to research more. By the time the hour was up, Hermione was yawning into her hand nearly every thirty seconds.

As they left the tower, Riddle filled the silence of the castle. "Will you join us for breakfast tomorrow?"

"As I said, I wouldn't want to-"

"Intrude on the boys club, yes, I remember," he said, turning to face her, thus stopping them in the middle of a hallway. He gave her a smile; one that was meant to reassure, but came off as slightly menacing given the shadows that splayed across his face. "I do hope you reconsider."

"No thank you," she said. "I have a feeling only you and Draco would want me there. I can put up with a lot, but people thinking they're better than me because they're rich and, well, a man, is not something I strive to be around," she said and slipped past him.

"I agree, they do give off a certain air of arrogance, but I assure you, once they get to know you-"

"_You_ don't know me, Riddle. I just met you four days ago and today was the first time we had a semblance of a conversation. I'm glad you're making friends with Draco; which I'm sure is more due to the fact that he's sharing your dorm, but you don't know me."

He was there to block her path again and she huffed in annoyance. "Simply because you will not give me the chance to change that."

Hermione stared at him silently, not sure what to say in this scenario. Instead, she yawned and shook her head. "It's late, can we just get back to the common room so I can sleep?"

He inclined his head and stepped aside so they could walk side-by-side. "I am sure Draco has been waiting up for you," he said, his tone dark. "He made it quite clear he does not trust me around you."

Hermione didn't say anything as another yawn tore from her lips. Sure enough, Malfoy was still in the spot on the couch, reading the same book. He and Riddle exchanged a nod before Riddle took off towards the dorms without another word.

"How'd it go?"

"Fine, actually," she said and yawned again.

He stood and walked with her to the split between the dorms. "Granger-"

"We can talk in the morning," she said with a wave of dismissal, another yawn garbling her words. She smiled apologetically and he smiled back. "I'm fine, really. Goodnight."

"Night, Granger," he said and watched her turn down the hall until she was out of sight.


	12. Chapter 12

**TWELVE**

_**Saturday, 6 September 1944**_

In the Gryffindor Tower, the sun always filtered through the windows, illuminating the room in a golden hue. The first few rays of light were usually what woke her. She had always been a morning person anyway. Mostly due to the inability to shut her brain off and get more than a few hours sleep. Being on the run the past year hadn't helped either.

But in the Slytherin Dungeons, the sunlight never shone. It would light the water of the Black Lake, but the room was shroud in darkness. For the first time in a long time, when Hermione finally woke on Saturday, she discovered she had slept in. The charm she cast with her wand told her it was already after ten in the morning.

She leapt out of bed and cast magic on her clothes; the same ones she had had on under her borrowed robes since they'd found themselves back in time. She grabbed her bag and hurried out to the common room. Malfoy was there, huddled off to the side with Kerus, Riddle, and a few others of the inner circle. The moment he saw her, she saw a flicker of relief wash over him.

She made her way to him and stopped at his side. The others stopped their conversation. Some stared at her with animosity, wondering who she thought she might be to walk up to them without being invited to do so. A few didn't seem to care. Only Malfoy and Riddle were okay with her interruption.

"Sorry. Overslept," she mumbled, looking up at Malfoy. "We should probably get going."

"Where are you off to?" Riddle asked.

"Hopefully not the library, Draco. It's a Saturday," Kerus said, looking at them both with contempt.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we actually have a meeting with Dumbledore we need to prepare for and maybe some of us want to pass our last year and our NEWTS with more than just an acceptable grade," Hermione quipped.

Kerus' eyes flashed at her, but his lips quirked up in amusement. "Merlin," he snorted and looked at Riddle for a moment. "She's almost as bad as you are."

Riddle only glared at him for a moment before Kerus cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. "A meeting with Dumbledore?" he questioned, looking between her and Malfoy.

"Special project," she stated and looked up at Malfoy. "Ready?"

He nodded and reached for her bag. He pulled it from her shoulder and slung it over his own before reaching for her hand. "Will we see you tonight, Draco?" Riddle asked before they turned away.

"Yes," he replied tightly and nearly dragged Hermione out of the dungeons.

Once they were outside the common room, he let go of her hand, but kept the bag on his shoulder. "Sorry I overslept. I've been relying on the sun to wake me. Apparently you don't get to see the sun in the dungeons."

"Do you want to stop by the kitchens since you missed breakfast?"

She shook her head. "No. I would rather compile a list of questions and get the materials we need before we meet Dumbledore. We might not have enough time to go outside before lunch. When are you meeting them?" she asked, turning back to look at him when she realized she had gotten quite far ahead.

"After dinner."

"Okay, then tomorrow we should really try to get outside. Maybe a walk around the lake?"

"If you're trying to ask me out, I'm sure you can think of something better than a walk around the lake, Granger," he teased.

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him again. "Well I'm going outside. The dungeons are driving me crazy." She paused before they entered the library. "Dippet did give us leave to go to Hogsmeade today."

"Yes, he also wanted a copy of our transcripts," he reminded her. "And what good would going there do? We don't have any money."

She bit her lip and sighed. "Right." She made a mental note to ask Dumbledore about their options. If he believed them, there was a chance that he could lend them some money. Possibly even help doctor up some transcripts.

They set out to gather all the books they had been looking at the past week and began compiling their lists of questions and references. It was mostly Hermione jotting things down, adding to her already pretty long parchment.

"What happened last night?" he asked, once they started putting all of the books back.

"Nothing really," she said. "Most of our discussion was assignment related. He invited me again to hang out with you, but I declined. Again."

He watched her intently. He knew that she was holding something back and after a moment of trying to pretend that she wasn't, she sighed and caved.

"And on Thursdays, while you're in Ancient Runes, we're meeting in the library to discuss our project."

His lips curled into a snarl and she rushed on before his anger burst forth.

"We'll be here with plenty of witnesses," she assured him. "He told me that he wasn't going to let me do all of the project by myself nor was he going to do it all on his own either. It will be fine."

His lips pressed into a thin line as he stared down at her. "He didn't try to get inside your head?"

"Not once," she replied. "And I'll have my book on the table in case anything happens."

"Do you have everything you need?" he asked, dropping the subject.

She nodded as she slipped the last tome into its place. She reached for her bag, but he was faster and slung it over his shoulder again. She eyed him for a moment and then turned. It was time for lunch and then soon, it would be their meeting with Dumbledore.

* * *

It had definitely been strange to see Dumbledore teaching, but it was even stranger to see him in an office that wasn't the Headmaster's. It was still uniquely Dumbledore, but it felt off. The space was smaller, but Hermione thought he had more things crammed into this room than he ever had in the Headmaster's office. She smiled over her teacup as she took a sip.

Dumbledore led the conversation for a few minutes. He asked them about their lessons and how they were getting along adjusting to the new environment. He asked if they had made friends and felt as though they were home. Malfoy spent the entire time nodding, but keeping his eyes focused on the undrunk contents of his teacup. Hermione did all of the talking.

After the conversation lapsed into silence, she took that as her cue to move past formalities and get down to the root of their problem. "Headmaster, I'm-"

"Professor," he corrected with a warm smile.

She nodded and tucked some loose curls behind her ear. "Professor, I'm not sure how much I can or should tell you about the time that we came from. Just…in my time you were heavily involved in a lot of what led us to this moment. I don't know anyone else."

He set his tea down on the desk and leaned forward, his hands tented under his nose. "I'm afraid I don't know very much on time travel. I have no first hand experience with it. I do however know a few people that might be able to help. I will owl them tonight. Perhaps they will be inclined to set up a meeting."

"That would be lovely," she said and then reached between her and Malfoy's chair for her bag. She pulled out her notes. "We did a little bit of preliminary research, but there aren't a whole lot of books in the library. There might be some in the Restricted section, but-"

A pass appeared on the desk in front of Hermione and she smiled. "This should help with that. Use it as often as you need while you are here."

"Thank you," she said, tucking it into her spelled book.

He gestured for her to continue. "What have you found so far?"

"Well, I have traveled backwards in time before, but I never went farther than a few hours at a time."

"You have?"

She nodded in earnest. "My third year. I took eleven classes. I ended up dropping Divination," she said, her lip curling just thinking about the subject. "But with special permission from the Ministry after recommendations from my head of house and yourself, they gave me a time turner."

Malfoy finally looked up, staring at her with awe. "I'd say that's pretty relevant to getting home," he said.

She shrugged and looked back at Dumbledore. "I am familiar with them."

She dug through the parchments until she came across a passage she had jotted down. "Like I said, there wasn't much, but this popped up a few times."

She pushed the parchment forward and Dumbledore peered over his spectacles to read it. "The Single Continuum Theory," he mumbled under his breath. "I am familiar with this one."

She nodded. "The name came up, but there wasn't really any definitions in the texts I found. Just references to books that the library does not have."

"Single Continuum," Dumbledore began, setting her notes down in front of him. "It states that time is linear. That we are exactly where we are supposed to be at any one given time. That no matter what we do, the past cannot be altered. The only thing that may change is the paths which we take to arrive at our predestined outcome. For instance, you have told me that I die. Should you tell me the nature of my death or the date, no matter what steps I take in effort to change the fact will be for naught. I could befriend my killer or go out of my way to never meet them, but they will still be the one to kill me."

Hermione scrambled for a blank piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling it all down furiously. "So by that theory, we were meant to come back when we did, to this time exactly because we have something to accomplish here?"

"Correct."

She tapped the feather of her quill against her chin as she thought. "How do we know what we're supposed to do?"

"Now that, Miss Granger, is one of life's age-old questions," Dumbledore said with a sad smile. "That is something I'm afraid you'll have to figure out on your own."

"So that's it?" Malfoy finally spoke, setting his tea down on the desk hard enough that it sloshed out the side. "We're just supposed to stay in this time twiddling our thumbs while Riddle-"

"If I had the answers, Mister Malfoy, I would give them to you. If it were within my power, I would absolutely send you home right this second," Dumbledore assured him. "But you were both sent here for a reason you will discover when the time is right." He looked at Hermione again. "Does Riddle accomplish what he wanted?"

"Unfortunately," she muttered. "But we almost have him defeated. We came here in the midst of battle. I'm not sure the outcome."

He nodded. "Then it goes without saying that you should watch yourself greatly. He has already done things that no wizard should ever do. It seems that both of you are aware of what he can and will do to get what he wants."

"We will be very careful," she promised.

He inclined his head and watched as she repacked her bag. "I will let you know the moment I hear from my contacts. As you know, the wizarding world is in a state of upset… It might take a bit longer for them to respond."

Malfoy looked up, puzzled, but Hermione grimaced. "Grindelwald," she said. "It will be over soon."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes guarded. He gave a short nod and then inhaled deeply. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. Dippet is expecting transcripts from us or Durmstrang."

"Not a problem. I will make sure they get to him before class resumes on Monday," he said. His eyes softened as Hermione lowered her eyes and wrung her hands in her lap. "Please, Miss Granger, allow me to help you any way that I can."

"We need clothes," she blurted, unable to keep it to herself. "All of our money is tied up in the future. He cannot access the family vault without causing all sorts of uproar and I'm a Muggle-born. I have no vaults."

He smiled and waved his wand over the desk. Two satchels appeared and Hermione's eyes widened. "A hundred Galleons each." He held up his hands as her lips parted to protest. "I insist. Get what you need and keep the rest should you ever encounter something you need in the future."

"Headmaster Dippet said we could go to Hogsmeade today to get things we needed. Is it too late to do so?" she asked, throat dry from his gift.

"Just be back before curfew," he said with a smile. "Plenty of places for dinner there as well."

"Does-" Hermione stopped and pressed her lips together. She sighed and forced the question out. "Does Aberforth work at the Hog's Head?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened and a smirk tipped his lips. "You must have been very special to me, Miss Granger. Not many know of Aberforth." His eyes flickered to Malfoy.

"He… He was a great help when the time came for it."

"Do you know the full story?" he asked and she nodded. "Very special indeed," he muttered. "Yes, he does still work there. He'll keep an eye on you should you need something. I will send word."

"Thank you," she said and stood.

Malfoy shot out of his chair, inclined his head politely, and reached for her bag. "No need," Dumbledore said and waved his wand at her bag. "It will be in your dorm when you return. I would head to Hogsmeade now; enjoy the town. Curfew," he said sternly, an impish twinkle in his eye.

"Curfew," she promised and reached for the satchels. "Thank you, Professor," she added and then slipped out of his office with Malfoy.


	13. Chapter 13

**THIRTEEN**

**_Saturday, 6 September 1944_**

The first place they had gone was Gladrags Wizardwear. While she was surprised to find that it looked the same as it did from their current time, Malfoy was not. Hermione noted that wizarding fashion seemed to change very little over the years. The racks of robes that filled the interior looked as though they could be the same ones on the same racks she had perused in the future. The only small difference was that in 1944, there seemed to be less options for under the robes than she was used to.

"What are the chances Dumbledore will grant us a field trip to Muggle London?" she muttered under her breath as Malfoy stood next to her.

"Slim to none," he replied and looked around at the near empty shop. It was far less crowded than they were used to since it wasn't a scheduled outing.

She sighed. "We could always Apparate. No one would ever know if we're quick."

His brow quirked at her and his lips were tipped with his signature smirk. "Careful, Granger. I'm beginning to rethink your reputation as a good little school girl."

She rolled her eyes at him, ignoring the tingle in her gut his words created and pulled a skirt off the rack. She frowned at the length, but it was the longest one she had seen yet. "This is ridiculous."

He crossed his arms and shrugged. "I disagree."

"Of course, you do," she muttered and draped the garment over her arm with the other items. "Do you need anything from Scrivenshaft's or Dervish?" she asked, desperate to change the subject. It was bad enough she still had to shop for intimates yet.

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"Yes."

A short laugh puffed past his lips and then his eyes widened as he realized she wasn't joking. "I was only kidding, Granger. Trust me, I'm not interested in how short-"

"Piss off, Malfoy," she interrupted and shifted uncomfortably. "I have other things to shop for. Things that I would prefer not to have an audience for."

She could feel the heat creep up her neck as she stared at him. When he realized what she was hinting at, his smirk widened. "You know, Granger, as your boyfriend, I should be entitled to see your knickers," he teased.

"Fake boyfriend or real; if anyone thinks they are entitled to see any bit of me will guarantee that they don't see a damn thing," she bristled, chin lifting into the air.

Something flashed in his eyes as his smirk faded into a genuine smile. He scrubbed at his face and gave a small nod. "Fair enough. I'll wait for you outside," he said and then took his items to the owner to cash out.

She watched him until he was out of sight and then blinked at the space he had vacated. She had almost sensed respect in his eyes when she had made her comment. It brought a small smile to her face as she turned towards the back of the store. In this time, the styles of undergarments weren't great, but she could always transfigure it once she had the basics.

It wasn't until she was cashing out a few moments later that she realized most of her choices had been green or black. She caught a glimpse of Malfoy from the store's front windows and huffed. If he had been around to see, she was certain he would have made some sort of comment about how House Slytherin was already rubbing off on her. She shrunk her bag and placed it in her pocket.

"Let me guess, you want to go to Zonko's?" she said once she came to a stop at his side.

He shrugged and shoved his hand in his trouser pockets. "Why not? We have a few hours to kill here and I'm not in any rush to get back to the castle, are you?"

"What about your meeting with Riddle?"

He turned to stare at her. "What about it?"

"Won't he be upset if you miss it?"

"Who the fuck cares, Granger?"

She sighed offered a small smile. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You're right, we should just hit up every shop and kill some time."

"What we need is a drink."

"Let's explore the shops first, then we can have dinner at the Hog's Head. We can drink there until we have to head back."

"I'm holding you to that," he said and then jerked his head towards the joke shop. She smiled a bit more and followed after him.

It was different going into Zonko's with Malfoy than it had been with any of her other friends. Especially any of the Weasley's. Where they were eager to buy anything and everything, Malfoy was more interested in browsing and just seeing what sort of things just simply existed. The extent of his appreciation for cheap pranks rested in curiosity rather than thrills. Then again, his style had always been for physical torture or a verbal lashing.

It caught her off guard and caused butterflies in her stomach.

Nearly an hour had passed before they moved on from the joke shop empty handed. The next place was Honeydukes. The shop seemed twice as big as it normally was with a handful of people inside versus a crowd. It was much quieter as well.

A petite middle-aged witch peered at them from the counter. "Is there a trip today?" she asked, looking out the window.

"No ma'am," Hermione replied. "Just special permission."

She nodded and went back to her conversation with a gentleman near the ancient looking register. When she looked back at Malfoy, she did a double take to find him no longer by her side. She turned and found him with a few items already in his hand.

"Go easy there, Malfoy," she said, keeping her voice low. "We shouldn't blow all of Dumbledore's money on sweets."

"Don't worry, Granger," he returned without looking at her. "I won't ruin my physique by eating my feelings."

He turned then and handed her a cauldron cake. She took it tentatively. "All that sugar's bad for your teeth."

"My teeth?"

She nodded and turned to the shelf that housed the sugar quills in her time. She was delighted to find them in the same place here. "Copious amounts of sugar can rot your teeth. My parents never let me have many sweets growing up."

"And you're going to waste your sugar intake on that rubbish?" he questioned, a brow quirked as he looked at the products before her.

"Not the regular ones," she replied, frowning at the empty spot on the shelf where her favorite flavor was marked.

"Spearmint," he muttered.

She paused wondering how on earth he would know that about her. As she turned her head to stare at him, their eyes connected and she went absolutely still as the realization hit her. She recalled the moment in potions at the beginning of Sixth Year when Slughorn had asked them to identify the potions in various cauldrons.

Amortentia.

Heat crept up her neck and his jaw clenched. He took a half step forward, getting close enough that she could feel the heat rolling off of his chest at her side. She let out a slow, shaky breath as her fingers curled so that her nails dug into the wood of the shelf.

"You remember that?"

He inclined his head slowly; deliberately. "Freshly mowed grass and parchment too if memory serves."

Hermione cleared her throat, set the cauldron cake he had handed to her on the shelf, and tore herself away from him. She left the shop and walked to the side of the building. When she was off the main path, she leaned against the rough wood exterior and closed her eyes. She took deep breaths to calm herself and squash the tsunami of desire that had flared to life in the pits of her stomach.

By the time Malfoy joined up with her, the desire had given way to anger. He found her pacing the space between the sweet shop and the building next to it.

"This needs to stop," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at him. She was glad that he decided not to play dumb, but she would have preferred he say something instead of maintaining silence. "I'm not sure where any of this is coming from, but it has to stop."

"Why?"

She shivered at the question and almost regretted her wish that he speak. "Because you're…" her words failed her as she gestured towards him. "And I'm…" She sighed in frustration and shook her head, her curls flowing over her shoulders.

"Well said," he deadpanned.

She bristled and let her hands ball into fists at her side. "The plan might be to forget whatever happens here, Malfoy, but there are some lines that just shouldn't be crossed. I'm fine with doing what's necessary to play my part, but," she gestured to the alley around them. "No one's here. There's no one to pretend for."

He nodded slowly and sneered at her. "Message received, Granger. Loud and clear."

He turned to walk away, leaving Hermione to stare after him. Confusion overrode her anger. He seemed a little deflated by her statement, but what confused her the most was her own feelings. She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more at this point. When he disappeared, she shoved all thoughts of Malfoy aside and walked across the main road to the little bookshop she had always loved to visit.

* * *

With a few new books on time travel in her pocket and the sun already nearly set, Hermione stepped out of the bookshop and made her way to The Hog's Head. She was surprised to see Malfoy already there. He was sitting near the back wall opposite the door at a table far away from the small crowd of locals.

"You're not drunk already, are you?" she asked as she slid into the seat opposite him.

He snorted as he swirled the glass in his hand. "Just got here."

She nodded and studied him. His eyes flickered up to meet hers, holding steady as he brought the glass to his lips to take a drink. She looked away only to do a double take at the sight of Aberforth behind the bar. He looked a little younger, but for the most part, exactly how he had looked when she had seen him only a few days before.

"Is that the guy you and Dumbledore were talking about?" Malfoy asked. She nodded, drawing her eyes away from him when he looked up at her. "Care to share with the class?"

"Aberforth Dumbledore," she said, watching as Malfoy's eyes went wide and then slid to the man behind the counter.

"Seriously?" He took another sip from his glass and harrumphed before looking at Hermione again. "Didn't know he had a brother."

Not wanting to risk being overheard, Hermione said nothing of Ariana. Instead, she gave a brisk nod and got back to her feet. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked and he shook his head. "Any preferences?"

"No," he replied and she slid off her seat to approach Aberforth.

She placed her order and waited there for him to fill a mug with butterbeer. She thanked him and carried it back to the table. "Food will be up soon," she informed him and took a drink. As she pulled the mug away from her lips she could feel the bit of foam that clung to her cupid's bow. Her tongue darted out to wipe it away, but stopped halfway as she caught Malfoy's eyes glued to her lips. She withdrew her tongue and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

To distract herself, she pulled her shrunken books from her pockets and enlarged them. She spread them out and dove into them. Even when the food was delivered to the table, she used magic to keep a book hovering in the air so she could read and eat as she flipped through the pages.

It was Aberforth's presence that pulled her from her reading sometime later that evening. "Curfew's in an hour," he said to them.

"Oh, already?" Hermione asked, removing the spell on the book and casting one to tell the time. "How much do we owe you?" she asked.

"Already paid," he said and walked away.

Hermione stared after him before looking at Malfoy. "You?"

"Relax, Granger. It's all Dumbledore's money anyway," he said, watching as she waved her wand to shrink her books again. She shoved them back in her pockets and slid off the chair, only to sway a bit on her feet. "Lightweight," he mumbled.

Hermione cleared her throat. It was true. Ron had always made fun of her for that. Typically she had only ever managed to finish one before she really felt the effects. Tonight she had consumed two. She hadn't felt it until she stood and it had free reign to course through her system.

"Come on," he said, looping her arm through his. "Unlike you, I paced myself," he scolded.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling herself free from his grasp only to stumble in the process.

He put his arm through his again and tsked her. "Just keep telling yourself that, Granger." He tugged her forward and kept her from losing her footing. She was grateful for his proximity when they stepped outside. In the open air it was significantly colder than she remembered the Hogwarts grounds to ever be. She shivered and pulled his arm tighter against her. If he minded, he didn't let on.

As they approached the place where she had punched him in Third Year, they came to a stop and stared up at the castle. It was strange to see it now considering the last time she had set eyes on this part of the castle chunks of it had turned to rubble at their feet. She pulled away from Malfoy and wrapped her arms around herself. The violent shiver that consumed her was borne from both the cold and the fear of what they were missing.

He cleared his throat and Hermione turned towards him. He had a familiar box in hands that were stretched out to her. She reached out for them and lifted the box of sugar quills tentatively. She stared at the box that rested in her hands then slowly let her eyes raise to his.

She remained rooted to the spot as he smiled lightly and then turned to walk towards the castle. When he disappeared from sight, she shook her head and reached for her wand. She cast an unbreakable charm on the box and then shrunk it before running after him. She caught him just before he reached the entrance and stopped him by placing a hand on his arm.

He stilled for a moment and then turned towards her. The moment he did, she surged forward on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his. To keep from stumbling back into the wall, his hand rested on her hips as hers wrapped around his biceps. Unlike their first kiss, this one didn't have any sense of urgency and fire. There was still a heat that flushed through her as her mouth moved against his, but the need for more wasn't there.

With a smile, she pulled away and took a half step back. "Thank you," she whispered.

He raised a hand to his lips and pressed his thumb against them as he studied her. "I wonder what you would have done if I'd snagged you a cauldron cake too?"

She glowered at him for a moment before laughter tore from her throat. She shoved him playfully and opened the door to the castle. "Piss off, Malfoy."

The rest of the walk to the dungeons was done in comfortable silence. They bid each other goodnight and as Hermione drifted off to sleep, she debated if the warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach was from Malfoy or the butterbeer.


	14. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

_**Thursday, 11 September 1944**_

For better or worse, as the second week of being sent back in time came to a close, things had started to feel like normal. They had made it back to their common room with a few minutes to spare before curfew. Riddle had inquired about their whereabouts and Draco had responded with a condensed version of the story. He had fallen asleep thinking of Granger's way of thanking him.

However, as the week progressed, he had come to regret ever buying those blasted sweets. Even now, as he sat with her in the library before he had to go to Ancient Runes, she was driving him mad. Any chance she had, the confection was in her hand and pressed to her lips. If he timed it right, he would let his attention wander at the moment her tongue delved out to taste it more.

He swallowed hard and looked down at his notes. He squirmed in his seat as he forced himself to think of the most boring things he could. The last thing he needed was to allow the blood to rush all the way south as it kept trying to do.

Neither one of them had discussed the newfound attraction for the other. They simply let it hang between them and did their best efforts to ignore it. The only positive to that approach seemed to be that they weren't at each other's throats as often. On the flip side, Draco found himself more terrified of her than ever before. With her anger only simmering beneath the surface instead of being hurled directly at him, there was nothing to quell his innermost thoughts. The ones that imagined her-

"Oh no."

Her breathy whisper pulled Draco from his thoughts and he looked at her from across the table. She had put the sugar quill down, but a book took its place in her hand. Her brow was furrowed and her nose scrunched up as she stared down at the passage.

"What?" he asked.

She set the book on the table and turned it towards him, tapping the spot she wanted him to read. He picked the book up and looked over the passage for himself. Not that he needed to since he knew she was just going to analyze the findings and surmise it all aloud for them both.

"This is one of the books I found at the shop in Hogsmeade," she started. "It backs up what Dumbledore said about the Single Continuum theory."

"And that's a bad thing?"

The way she stared at him made him scowl. It was as if she had thought it was obvious. He shoved the book back at her. "The more something is mentioned, the more it's considered common knowledge. So far, all the other theories I've managed to come across are all written in their own contained tomes. The only ones to transcend texts are just references. This theory is the only one that isn't cited."

Draco nodded at her, half understanding what she said. He found himself wondering if this was how she always was when she made discoveries. He knew if she made him feel like a half-wit that Potter and Weasley must have felt like complete fools.

"I'm still not sure how it's a bad thing," he stated. "It means nothing we do can alter the future. We won't have to worry about doing something stupid and getting ourselves Unborn."

"It's bad because from everything I've read, this theory states that it's near impossible to return. All documentation is of successful travelers that knew what they were going back for when they made the trip. We came back here blind, Malfoy. We-"

"I do apologize for the interruption."

They both paused to see Riddle standing at the edge of the table. Granger closed her book and stacked them aside. Draco felt tension knotting his shoulders as he thought of leaving her alone with Riddle again. It was bad enough he couldn't keep an eye on her in the class they shared and their weekly hour in the Astronomy Tower. The fact that Riddle wormed his way into another hour of her time made him grind his teeth.

"I guess that's my cue to head to Ancient Runes," he said, gathering his things slowly.

Granger nodded and began fiddling with her items. He knew she was trying to get the books on time travel out of sight as fast as she could without drawing his eyes towards them. He also knew Riddle had probably already read all of the titles and would save the information for another day.

"I'll see you for lunch," she said, giving him a small smile.

He nodded at her and slung his bag over his shoulder. Riddle moved to take the seat he had vacated and Draco rose to the challenge. He moved around the table and dropped his face close to hers. He had meant to subtly kiss her cheek as she had done previously, but she turned. Their lips brushed and she jumped at the unexpected contact.

"See you," he whispered before pulling away.

He looked back over his shoulder to see Granger duck her head and clear her throat. Her cheeks were flushed crimson as Riddle stared after him with contempt. He smirked and continued on to class.

"I know that look, my friend," Kerus said as he fell into step beside Draco outside the library. "Good time with your lady in the stacks?"

"She's not like that."

He laughed and nudged Draco's shoulder. "No one's around; you can tell me."

Draco adjusted the strap on his bag and shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. It's really not like that," he stated. He shoved the inkling of disappointment that rose to the surface at his declaration.

Kerus sobered when it sank in that Draco was telling the truth. "Really? I thought for sure with the way you two have been eye-fucking each other all the time that-"

Draco grimaced at the crude statement and continued walking despite Kerus' pause in stride. "I don't think it's any of your business, but it's the truth."

"So you're telling me that you don't even know if her swotty little mouth can-"

Draco stopped and shoved Kerus against the wall, his wand pointed against the hollow of his throat. "I dare you to finish that sentence."

Kerus stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before he grinned for ear-to-ear. His hands came up to show surrender and Draco released him, hands running through his hair as he tried to reign in his anger.

"Merlin, mate. You need to get laid." He held up his hands again as Draco glared at him. "Plenty of witches within these walls who can help with that and keep to themselves afterwards."

"No thank you," Draco bit out.

Kerus shrugged his shoulders and followed Draco towards the classroom. They took their usual seats next to one another much to Draco's dismay. He couldn't shake the anger at Kerus for making slaggy comments about Granger. Mostly he couldn't shake the guilt as seven years of teasing came back to haunt him.

* * *

_**Saturday, 13 September 1944**_

Much like the week before, Draco had been in the common room before Granger and Riddle took their leave for their project. He was still there when she returned to bid her goodnight. Unlike the previous Saturday, she was up and in the common room before it was time to leave for breakfast.

After breakfast they took leave of the castle in favor of soaking up some sun and fresh air. Per her suggestion from the week before, they found themselves walking along the Black Lake, taking the side closest to the Forbidden Forest as it decreased the likelihood of being overheard. As it was, their walk was filled with idle chit chat. Most of which was from her. He had come to know that unless there was a book in front of her face to occupy her mind, she constantly felt the need to expel whatever thought came to mind.

"How many times have the Golden Delinquents been in there?" he asked, nodding towards the trees.

Granger rolled her eyes at him from her spot on the grass. "A few times," she said, plucking at the blades of grass between her fingers. "Have you been in there since First Year?" she asked. "It's not that terrifying."

"Excuse me," he said, glaring at her. "Detention or not, we had no business being in there. My point was made when Potter and I encountered the Dark Lord. It's far too dangerous in there; especially for First Year students."

She shrugged. "Fair." A small smile tugged at her lips. "I got the centaurs to haul Umbridge away."

His eyes widened. "I wondered what you'd done to that nutter."

"You didn't think to seem she was so crazy when she stuck that infernal badge on your robes."

He rubbed at his neck and then leaned back on his hands. "I can assure you that even I cringe at some of my past behavior."

"Good," she replied cheekily before lying back on the grass to stare up at the cloudy sky that promised a storm but had yet to deliver.

Her eyes closed for a moment and he used the opportunity to steal a glance at her. His eyes swept over her face, down her torso, and slowly down her legs. Since it was a Saturday and they weren't wearing their robes, he was able to see her shape. He'd seen it before, but not this up close and personal. He had come to find her attractive some time ago, but seeing her at ease around him made her even more desirable. She cleared her throat and Draco looked away to contain his sheepish grin of being caught.

"You ever going to tell me about those Horcrux things?"

She reached for her wand at her side and cast a series of charms. All of them were nonverbal so he couldn't be sure exactly what she had used, but he could feel her magic tingling the air around him regardless. "Very Dark Magic involved in their creation. Their purpose is to house a fragment of a soul so that the being whose soul was split cannot easily be killed. The easiest way to split a soul is with murder."

Draco winced as his left arm began to burn. He wasn't sure if it was real or if it was his subconscious just imagining the act. Granger continued to tell him what she knew of the Dark Magic involved; each bit of information he absorbed made him sick to his stomach.

From the death of Moaning Myrtle to the diadem; the tales Granger weaved made his head spin.

"And you lot have been hunting them?"

She nodded. "Harry destroyed the diary in our Second Year when the chamber had been reopened. The next one didn't surface until Dumbledore had tracked it down. He had had it for awhile and he wore it. It's what was killing him; the Dark Magic penetrated his core and was wearing him down."

Draco cast his eyes down at the mention of the elder wizard's death.

"When we had the locket, we took turns wearing it," she said quietly, sitting up to wrap her arms around her knees. "Each time we had it on it was as if we were drowning. Like there was this dark sea pulling me asunder. Every doubt and bad thought I had was amplified. It pushed every bit of anger to the surface and-" She stopped and shook her head. "It affected Ron the worst. We finally destroyed it, but it took so long that there were some lingering effects."

Draco found himself moving to sit closer to her, but stopped himself from reaching out in for her in any other way. She was too busy staring off into space to even notice the action.

"We couldn't have destroyed Hufflepuff's cup without your aunt," she said, turning to him. If she noticed the distance between them was practically nonexistent, she didn't mention it. "Had she not reacted so strongly, I would have never put two and two together."

"So you hadn't been in her vault?"

She shook her head. "Not at that point, but afterwards we robbed it."

Draco stared at her in disbelief. "You mean to tell me the dragon escape at Gringotts was you lot?"

"They have no business keeping a creature in those conditions. The poor thing had turned white from being kept in darkness and-" She stopped to take a breath. "The next one was the diadem which we found in the Room of Requirement. I hope Harry and Ron destroyed it when they escaped."

It wouldn't have mattered if he had grown up being friends with Granger instead of her bully; Draco was never good around crying witches. She turned to him and laid her head on his shoulder and the sound of sniffles and stifled sobs filled the space around them. Awkwardly, he slid an arm around her back and let her cry it out.

Even after the tears had ceased and the breeze rustling the leaves replaced the sound of her sobs, she never moved. They both basked in the silence and fresh air as they leaned on one another until they mutually decided to head back in for lunch.


	15. Chapter 15

**FIFTEEN**

**_Saturday, 13 September 1944_**

On their way back to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione thought Malfoy almost unrecognizable. There was no way the boy who just let her cry on his shoulder was the same one that spent the last seven years tormenting her. He had gone from calling her the vilest things and mocking her appearance at every turn to causing a tornado of butterflies in her stomach just by being at her side.

It was downright maddening to think that nearly two weeks ago she had been in the middle of battle to taking a casual stroll along the same grounds with her enemy. She blamed it on the loss of chaos. The urgency to get home was lessening as each day passed. There was something to be said about looking at the current unrest as a bystander instead of being in the thick of things.

Even her fear for Riddle had dwindled. She had been too preoccupied with her change in perspectives of Malfoy to even notice him. When they sat together in Astronomy they hardly ever spoke. Their first meeting in the library and their time together in the tower had been about their project and nothing else. His presence was still overwhelming, but she was starting to get used to it.

She stopped outside the entrance of the Great Hall and turned towards Malfoy. Her lips parted to thank him for letting her cry on his shoulder, but they were interrupted by Dumbledore.

"Professor," she greeted with a smile, hoping that if he noticed that she'd been crying he didn't say anything.

"Mister Malory, Miss Granger," he replied. "I received a response from one of my queries. They would like to set up an audience with the two of you next Saturday."

Hermione nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Professor," she beamed.

"I will make the arrangements and let you know the details. Enjoy your lunch," he said as he strode into the Great Hall whistling an unfamiliar tune.

The plan had been to sit at their spot at the edge of the table, but Kerus gestured for Malfoy to join them. "Come with."

"No thank you."

"It's either you listen to them drone on about politics or sit with your roommates. They'll take one look at you and know that you were crying and then you'll have to spend your lunch making me look bad."

"That's supposed to convince me to eat with you?" she asked, lips quirking into a smile. "I could bad mouth you in my sleep at this point."

He narrowed his eyes at her and she sighed.

"Fine, let's go."

She took the seat Kerus had cleared for Malfoy; one that was directly across from Riddle. Malfoy then gestured for Kerus to move down another one and Hermione ignored the scowl she received. "Pleasure to have you join us, Miss Granger," Riddle said before shooting Kerus a warning look.

"Thanks," she said, reaching for the sandwiches stacked in front of her.

"Will you be joining us tonight?" he asked, looking at her and Malfoy. "Or will you be taking another lone trip to Hogsmeade?"

"No Hogsmeade for us I'm afraid," she replied, taking a sip from her goblet. "And that depends. What is that you all find so fascinating that it led you to start your little boys club?"

"Just a friendly place to discuss the political unrest of the wizarding world."

"Not something the ladies usually find interesting," said Renatus Lestrange. Malfoy had educated her on who was who. It was easy to recognize them now that she knew their names; they all looked similar enough to their descendants. All of which she had had the misfortune of meeting.

"I assure you, I find many things interesting, but I find it in poor taste to discuss politics with people I don't know," she said. "You never know what ideals might be taken the wrong way."

"Perhaps some ideals are taken the wrong way because people are too scared to challenge the current ones."

Hermione stared at Riddle from across the table, vaguely aware that everyone in his group was staring intently at the two of them. She gave a tight-lipped smile. "So I take it you don't agree with Grindelwald and his ideals?"

Riddle rose to the challenge, leaning in a little. That amused smirk tipped his lips and there was a spark in his eye. "Grindelwald is a fool. He wants to out the Wizarding World to the masses. He's too hungry for power. He's more interested in getting results quickly instead of being strategic."

"And you think you could do better?"

She regretted the question the moment it left her lips. For a fleeting second, the surprise left her guard down and she felt him slip into her mind. Screams ricocheted off the walls of her mind as the start of battle danced behind her eyes. She could feel him sifting through her thoughts, searching...

Hermione's hands slammed onto the table, causing all eyes in the Great Hall to turn their way. She forced her walls up, the strength of it making her entire body tremble. She glared at Riddle a moment before she got to her feet and stormed off towards the Room of Requirement without saying a word.

Instead of entering the Room of Lost Things as she anticipated, she found herself in a small room with a semi-circle of dueling dummies. The door hadn't yet closed, allowing Malfoy to slip in at the last moment, before she had her wand out and spells flying at the dummies. When they all had been reduced to bits of debris, she let the wand fall from her shaking hands and rolled her shoulders.

"What the hell was that?"

"He was inside my head," she answered. "I trigged his curiosity and when he was searching my mind, he was suspicious." She let out a sigh of frustration and bent down for her wand, stashing it away. "Well if that's any indication of how his meetings go, count me out."

She did a double take at the look Malfoy was giving her.

"He values intellect as much as power. Maybe even more so. That little display of banter was more of a turn on to him. I saw the way his interest peaked when you two started."

Her nose wrinkled, but her stomach flipped as she realized it was true. His invasion of her mind hadn't been the only reason she'd up and left her spot at the table. For a moment she felt as though what little she had eaten of her lunch was going to make a second appearance.

"We need to practice more."

"Tomorrow," he said, rushing on to stop her protests. "You just burned a lot of energy. You need to calm down or you could hurt yourself."

"We should practice now _because _I'm burnt out. I can do it when I'm calm, but-"

"True, but we can work our way up to that," he said. "Maybe you should work on reigning in your temper."

She snorted. "That's rich coming from you."

"Granger-"

"Fine. After breakfast. You and I will come back here and spend the whole day here."

The corners of his lips quirked. "You know, you might be the only girl to say something like that and have nothing of a sexual nature in mind."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "On that note, I'm going back to my dorm."

"I'll walk you," he said and they made their way to the dungeons.

* * *

The common room was filled with chatter. All anyone could talk about was who had made the Quidditch team that day at try outs and that they were excited for the first match in a few weeks. Hermione didn't miss the way Draco sighed longingly at the conversation. However, the mere thought of ever getting on a broom again made her cringe.

She slipped away before dinner to use the loo and check on her wards as per usual. When everything checked out, she returned to the common room to find Malfoy was no longer there. She debated on whether or not she should go back to her dorm until dinner, but scowled at the cowardly thought and summoned her inner Gryffindor. She scanned the crowd for her roommates, but didn't search for long before Kerus filled her vision.

She gave him a small smile and inclined her head politely. "You look strange without your bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" she asked, cursing herself for taking the bait.

He gave a short laugh and then quirked a brow at her. "What else would you call it?" he asked, reaching up to trail a finger down her arm. She flinched back in surprise, hitting the wall. "You should really loosen up. The poor bloke can only go so long before he blows a gasket. If you don't give him what he wants, he'll be forced to go elsewhere."

Her jaw dropped at his words, but she surprised them both when her fist smashed into his nose. He covered his face with both hands and screamed as blood ran through his fingers and onto his clothes. All conversation had ceased and everyone was staring at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

She shook out her hand a few times before rubbing at her knuckles. "Quentin, escort Kerus to the infirmary," Riddle said, slipping out of the crowd. Avery gave a curt not and dragged a fuming Kerus with him. Before she could protest, Riddle's hand found the small of her back and was propelling her away from prying eyes. When she realized they were heading down the boy's corridor, she stopped short and pulled away from him.

He peered down at her, eyes dropping further to her hand. "Would you like me to escort you to the infirmary as well?"

She shook her head immediately. "Not the first time I've broken someone's nose," she admitted, smirking as she thought of Malfoy.

He inclined his head. "Regardless, I am sure it hurts."

"A little."

He gestured down the hall. "I have a salve that will help. I would be happy to share it with you if you will allow my assistance."

Her hand pulsed and ached. This was nothing like when she had punched Malfoy. Those felt like slaps in compared to this. She snorted at her thoughts. Maybe Malfoy had never really made her as angry as she thought. She swallowed hard and nodded. "Is Draco in there?" she asked.

"I believe Clarence and Phileas stole his attention when you left the room. I will fetch him myself after we tend to your hand," he said, saying what he knew would get her to move.

She nodded and followed him down the hall. It was only when he held a door open for her that she realized he must have disabled the opposite sex charms. She hesitated at the threshold and then stepped in. She let out a small breath of relief when he left the door open. She lingered near the door as he moved about to a cabinet near the bed to the right. That meant the bed to the left was Malfoy's. She looked away, not sure where to turn her attention to until it settled on the floor.

"You're welcome to sit, Miss Granger."

"No thank you," she said, her mouth dry.

He shrugged and went back to his search. A few moments later, he pulled out a little bronze jar from his things and made his way back to her. He opened the lid and angled the jar towards her. She dipped her fingers into the salve with her left hand and then began massaging it into her right hand. At first, the cold shocked her, but the more she rubbed, the more it warmed to her touch.

"Thanks," she said as he put the lid on the jar.

"Keep it. Return it when you are done with it," he said, holding it out to her until she pocketed it. "At this rate, it seems I may have to buy another jar soon. That is a bloke a week if I am not mistaken."

She smiled despite herself and flexed her hand. It still ached, but the magic soaked into her skin and settled in her bones, relieving her of the worst effects. "Get inside my head again and I'll make sure you're next week's jab."

The intensity of his gaze made every hair on her body stand up as a slow shiver crept up her spine. "I will take that into consideration," he assured her, his voice a velvety purr. "What was it that Kerus said to you?"

She cleared her throat as heat crept up her neck. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, but try as she might, she couldn't avert her gaze from him. "Something about how if I don't put out, Draco will find a witch that will." Her jaw ticked and her chin lifted slightly. "He barely knows us. He had no right to make assumptions."

Hermione found herself wondering why he would even say something about that to her. _Unless Malfoy said something to him_, she thought. That made her stomach flip a little. She wasn't keen on the idea of him talking about what they did or didn't have with anyone; least of all these people.

Riddle's face had gone cold at her words. "I assure you; he will not be making that mistake twice." The conviction in his voice did something to Hermione. She wasn't sure what to make of the effect it had on her.

She shrugged, attempting to shake it off. "And if he does, I'll aim lower."

Riddle's lips quirked into a smirk, but it was gone a moment later, making her wonder if she hadn't imagined it. "Unfortunately, Kerus is very much a boy; focused on getting off instead of getting ahead in life." He inhaled sharply and spread his hands in invitation. "You may stay here. I will send Draco in for you," he said, taking his leave of the room before she could protest.

The moment he was gone, she let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and stared at the door, waiting for Malfoy to appear. When he did, he paused in the doorway and raked his eyes over her, assessing her for signs of injury. "I'm fine," she told him, holding up her right hand. "Just a little sore."

"What the fuck happened?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"What did Riddle tell you?"

"That you punched Kerus and you were in our room waiting for me," he replied with a sour look. "Neither of those things were good news."

She canted her head to the side. "So the thought of me in your room doesn't strike your fancy," she said. "Noted."

"Not when Riddle's the one that brought you here," he said darkly, making her instantly regret her comment. "What happened?" he asked again.

His anger sparked her own. It was almost comical how fast her mood swung from good to bad around him. Almost. She placed her left hand on her hip and waved gently at the air with her right. "I don't know, Malfoy, you tell me? Kerus was under the impression that if I didn't fuck you and soon that you would be forced to fulfill your needs elsewhere," she snapped. "Why would he seem to think that was the case?"

Malfoy scowled and he uncrossed his arms so that his hands could ball into fists at his side. His eyes were raging storm clouds as he drew a deep, labored breath. "Before you get your knickers in more a twist than they already are, Granger, I did _not _talk about you like that with him," he informed her. "He made a lewd comment and I shut him down. I guess I wasn't clear enough."

Hermione felt her anger dissipate a little and then a familiar heat stained her cheeks at her accusations.

"You really think that low of me? That I would speak to someone I hardly know; someone I have no intentions of ever getting to know, about that?"

She swallowed hard and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she answered. She almost missed the hurt that flashed in his eyes before they narrowed at her. "No," she corrected herself with a shake of her head. "You wouldn't."

He stared at her hand for a moment and then sighed. "Do you need to see Madam Perth?"

She shook her head briefly. "No, the stuff Riddle gave me is enough."

He nodded and shifted his feet before gesturing for her to follow him out of the room. When she reached his side, he laid a gentle hand on her forearm and cocked his head to the side. "For the record, I'm not a wizard who brags about his conquests."

She smirked as she looked up at him through his lashes. "I wouldn't either if my conquest was Pansy," she teased.

His glare was smoldering as he pointed to the hallway. "Out, Granger."


	16. Chapter 16

**SIXTEEN**

_**Saturday, 13 September 1944**_

Kerus had joined them towards the end of dinner and despite the healing potion, there was still a fair bit of bruising on both eyes and the bridge of his nose. The damage had made Draco smirk and then realize how lucky he was. Comparatively, the punches he'd received from Granger didn't feel so bad anymore. From the time he sat down to the time they all got up to leave, Kerus glared daggers at Granger from across the way where she sat with her roommates.

He was thinking of all the ways he was going to make it very clear to Kerus that he was to stay the hell away from her as well as the repercussions for failing to do so when he saw Riddle's face. He was staring at Kerus as if he were about to set the boy on fire. He had seen that look before many times. It was unnerving. It further disturbed him that Riddle might upstage him in sending a message to Kerus about Granger.

When dinner was over, Granger was waiting for him just outside the entrance. Riddle and his entourage stood off to the side as they waited for him to say goodbye as they were going to the meeting right after. Draco still wished he didn't have to go. He had meant what he said the previous week; that he had no intention of being back in the Dark Lord's inner circle. Yet, here he was…

"You sure you have to go?" she asked, echoing his thoughts, her gaze flickering over to the group.

He sighed in exasperation. "This is your fault, really."

"How so?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

He stared at her with a smirk tugging at his lips. "It'll come to me." She snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "You know, if you come with, he'll get a rise out of you in five minutes or less and I'll have an excuse to leave and chase you through the castle."

She shoved at him with her left hand and shook her head again. "Just… Don't put your foot in your mouth," she warned, looking back to the group behind him again. "And whatever it is you're planning to do to Kerus afterwards; don't."

His eyes widened in surprise at that. "Why would I let him get off so easily?"

"Because I took care of it already. He's all talk, Malfoy," she said, lowering her voice. "I don't want any unnecessary drama for something that isn't real."

He stared at her, watching as her eyes dropped to the ground. "Fine," he bit out, not bothering to cover up the hurt in his voice. "If you want to be known as a frigid witch, so be it." He turned on his heel to face Riddle just as Granger lifted her head in surprise. He heard her storm off with a frustrated sigh and shrugged at Riddle's questioning gaze. "Witches," he muttered. "Shall we go?"

Riddle led them to a small classroom. One that clearly had not been used in a long time. It appeared to be more for storage now. However, off to the side, there was a round table with seven chairs that looked as though it were new to the space. Draco assumed this was where they came on a more regular basis. As they took their seats, Draco took the one that they left open.

"You look so much like Abraxas, mate," Avery said with a smirk as Rosier took a smile bundle from his pocket and enlarged it, passing out a week's worth of the Prophet.

Draco nodded. "So I'm told," he said, taking a look at the papers. Each one had a main article of Grindelwald and his whereabouts or his latest attacks. He only wished he had paid attention in A History of Magic. He wouldn't be able to offer much in the ways of politics. This was his father's domain.

And he was right. For the better part of an hour, they went over the antics of the current terror. Riddle sat and listened as his minions discussed tactics and what could have been done better. They spoke candidly, arguing with a politeness that could only come from someone trying to impress their superiors. It was somewhat refreshing from the conversations with the Dark Lord. Everyone here spoke their mind instead of saying what they had to in order to not have his wand pointed at them.

Draco noticed the way Riddle spoke and asked questions. The way he would steer the conversation to a realistic approach to the way he would run his regime someday. Every time a death was mentioned, his eyes would light with desire to be the one delivering the curse.

"Do politics bore you?" Riddle asked him when the conversation wound down for the evening.

Mulciber flashed him a smile. "I recon it's better than dealing with your witch when we get back," he said. "She seemed rather cross with you."

Draco snorted. "When is she not cross with me?"

A small chorus of chuckles sounded through the room followed by a few glances at Riddle. He inclined his head and they all stood up. "Kerus, a word?" Kerus stilled at the request and Draco looked between the two men. Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, and Lestrange said their goodbyes and parted the room. Riddle looked at Draco and nodded towards the door. "You should go too, Draco."

He hesitated. On one hand, he wanted to stay and see what happened; make sure Kerus got what was coming to him for saying what he did to Granger. But on the other hand, Riddle shouldn't be the one roughing Kerus up. Granger was supposed to be his to defend; not Riddle's. After a moment of staring at Riddle, he gave a curt nod of his head and took his leave.

He was barely out the door when he heard a muffled scream come from inside the room. Draco paused and turned around, his fists clenching at his side. As another one ripped through the air, he found himself running towards the dungeons. He had had enough of hearing the Dark Lord torture someone.

He slowed down outside the entrance to the common room and paced to catch his breath. He was torn between confronting Riddle about the fact that Granger was his to protect and the nagging voice in the back of his head, one that was awfully reminiscent of _her _voice, reminding him that she really wasn't his witch.

He was no match for the Dark Lord; not before and not even now. He was kidding himself and Granger into thinking he was.

He wasn't Potter or Weasley; he didn't have to do a damn thing for her. There was nothing stopping him from turning and running from the castle.

Nothing except for Granger.

He scrubbed at his face and scowled at thought, cursing her in his mind over and over again as he fought for control of his emotions. She would absolutely be the death of him.

When he was able to breathe normally, he stepped inside the common room. Granger was sitting on the couch reading by the fire, the green flames casting cool toned shadows over her skin. He studied her while she lost herself in her book. When she noticed his stare, she looked up and did a double take. She closed her book around her finger and got up to greet him. She rested against the back of the couch that faced the one she had vacated.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Not for me."

She nodded and set the book on the on top of the cushion next to her before pushing biting at her bottom lip. "About earlier-"

"There's nothing to discuss," he interrupted, his feet carrying him towards the dorm.

She followed after him, racing to step in front of him to block his path. "Will you just hear me out, please?"

He sighed, crossed his arms, and waited for her to continue.

She chewed on her bottom lip while she shifted nervously on her feet before him. Just when he was about to explode at her to stop, she took a deep breath and said, "I appreciate you wanting to defend me when it comes to Kerus, I do. It just… We…" She sighed in frustration as she fumbled for her words and he saw the way her hands balled into fists at her side.

She surprised him by stepping up on her tip toes and pressing her lips to his. It reminded him of the kiss they had shared upon their return from Hogsmeade the previous weekend. This one didn't last nearly as long though, much to his dismay, and she pulled back before it even registered what she had done.

"I know things have shifted between us, Malfoy," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I know you feel it too, but I'm not-"

He cut her off by capturing her lips with his own. His kiss was harder than hers, but he didn't take it any further. Didn't let his tongue stretch out to taste her lips or ask for permission he knew she wasn't ready to grant. "Take your time, Granger. I'm not going anywhere."

She let out a deep sigh of relief and smiled at him.

Her lips parted to speak when her gaze slid to something behind him and he watched the way her expression changed. The smile on her lips pulled into a tight one he knew she only used when she had to be polite, but didn't want to be. "Riddle," she said in greeting.

"Draco filling you in on how much we bored him?" he questioned.

Draco kept an eye on Granger's face, watching as her chin lifted ever so slightly. He had seen that look on her face a few times; it was one that was usually reserved for him and still was for the most part, but recently she had been giving it to Riddle as well. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he looked between the two of them.

He tortured Kerus a few minutes ago because he had said something vile to Granger.

He had tortured his aunt for hurting her with an Unforgivable and carving that slur onto her flesh.

A thought began to take shape in his mind, but the more he chased it, the faster it eluded him.

"Draco?"

Granger's voice was soft as it pulled him from his thoughts. From the look on her face, it was not the first time she had called for him. "Sorry, even thinking about it again is putting me to sleep," he said, forcing a smirk onto his face.

"Politics is not the only topics we discuss, Draco," he said, giving him a look that made his skin crawl. He held his gaze for a moment before sliding it to Granger. "Is the salve helping?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you," she said and raised a hand to her lips to cover a yawn. "I think I'll call it a night."

Riddle nodded at her. "Good night, Miss Granger. Draco, I will see you soon," he said and took his leave.

Draco cringed at the way Granger's eyes lingered on him as he walked away. She smiled when she looked back at him as if she hadn't even realized what she was doing. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded and stepped into him, giving him a tentative hug. When he wrapped his arms around her, she relaxed against him and tightened her own hold. "Good night," she mumbled against his chest before she pulled away.

"Night," he said, watching her retreat down the corridor to the girls' dorms. When she was out of sight, she turned and marched down his own corridor and straight to his room. He slammed the door behind him and stood before Riddle with his wand clutched at his side. "Granger is not yours to defend, Riddle. I thought I made myself clear that she was mine."

Riddle's eyes were blazing at him as if they were amused with his possessive display. "Her mind is exquisite. Full of curiosity; always looking to expand her knowledge," he said, taking a step forward. Draco's fingers tightened on the hilt of his wand. Panic threatened to make him tremble as he wondered what Riddle had seen or if he was just fucking with him. "She tries so hard to keep me out, but she thinks so loudly that it is quite hard to resist."

"Stay away from her."

The smirk that took hold of Riddle's lips was one of the most disturbing things Draco had ever seen. It was malicious in nature. Even watching Nagini feast on his former teacher on his dining table didn't compare to the malevolence he felt now. Draco forced himself to remain perfectly still as Riddle took a step forward, not even bothering to pick up his wand from his bed side table. They both knew he didn't need it.

"I never planned on going anywhere near her, Mister Malory," he said. "She seems perfectly capable of coming to me on her own. And I suspect she will do so of her own free will. I am a patient man, but I doubt she will take long to see where she truly belongs."

"If you touch her-"

"It is not her body I want," he interrupted, yet his eyes betrayed his words when they darkened with lust. "Carnal pleasures of the flesh have never interested me. Her mind, on the other hand… What a powerful tool to have in one's arsenal."

His arm raised with the intention of firing a curse, but Riddle was faster. His wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the floor somewhere near his bed. Draco struggled against the pull of Riddle's magic as it forced him to his knees. Riddle approached and lowered himself to his haunches in front of Draco, head tipped to the side. "You should rest, Draco. I know I will sleep better knowing you will not remember this in the morning."

He waved his hand and the next thing Draco knew, he was waking up in his bed, staring up at the canopy. There was a fuzzy warmth in his mind along with the faintest of traces that something wasn't right, but as he tried to chase after it, the warmth prevailed and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and getting to his feet to get ready for the day.

Completely unaware of what Riddle had made him forget from the night before.


	17. Chapter 17

**SEVENTEEN**

_**Tuesday, 16 September 1944**_

Sunday had come and gone in the blink of an eye. They had gone to the Room of Requirement after breakfast where Malfoy helped her with Occlumency again. She had picked things that she didn't care if he saw or not. It was only an accident when her mind thought of Slughorn's Christmas party in Sixth Year and the way Cormac McLaggen was all hands and tongue. After that, Malfoy refused to see anymore and it took Hermione a moment to realize just why he was so upset.

He was jealous.

After lunch they stuck to the library where they settled into a table off the beaten path and finished up the assignments they had been working on. She had even gotten a pretty decent head start on the ones that were coming up the following week. After dinner, they just stuck to the common room where they spent time with their other housemates until it was time to go to bed.

Not wanting to pressure her, Malfoy had dropped a quick kiss on her cheek and disappeared down the corridor before she could draw her next breath.

Monday had gone by just as quickly. As much as Hermione had adored having Dumbledore as her teacher for this subject, his methods weren't as cut and dry as McGonagall's and she found herself missing her head of house. Charms had been fun for her when Malfoy flicked his wrist left instead of right, causing the spell they were working on to cover him in a cloud of dust. Her laughter had brought tears to her eyes and instead of snapping at her like she thought he might, Malfoy surprised her by retaliating in a friendly way.

They had nearly gotten detention for their disruptive faux duel.

In Potions, Hermione knew Slughorn was planning some larger group project from the way he spoke. However, he would only tell them to research Healing Potions and think of the most common trio used in triage. When class had ended, he told them they would revisit the topic on Wednesday and give them the assignment that would finish off the week.

It was Tuesday during Defense that Hermione felt her fear of Riddle finally return.

Merrythought had them sitting at their desks for a bit of a practical lesson. She had them practicing nonverbal magic after that, furiously taking notes as she observed. When she had them line up on either side of the room and cleared the desks and chairs out of the way.

"I know nonverbal magic is hard to do, but when you're in a fight, it's your best advantage. Just by shouting out the spell you cast gives your opponent a split second to counter it correctly. Sometimes that second is enough to get you killed."

She paused and looked around the room until her eyes settled on Hermione. She smiled warmly and beckoned her forward. She swallowed hard and stepped to the middle of the room next to her professor.

"Unless it was to berate Mister Malory, I don't believe I heard a peep from you all day, Harmony," Merrythought said, her voice light with humor. The class erupted into snickers and Hermione dropped her head to hide the fact that her cheeks were burning. She knew Malfoy's were too, but she refused to look at him.

"I daresay she's even better than you, Tom," she added, waving Riddle over to them as well.

"She is quite good, Professor," Riddle said as he approached, giving Hermione a slight nod of his head as his lips quirked into a barely there smirk.

Hermione realized what was about to happen before Merrythought even said it aloud. Her eyes lifted to Malfoy's and watched as realization darkened the grey of his eyes.

"Harmony, Tom, I would like the two of you to duel for the class. Non-verbal magic only. It goes without saying, Unforgiveables will get you expelled. Everything else is fair game." She stepped aside and waved her wand to create a bubble over the two of them, preventing the rest of the class from rogue spells. "Begin when ready and you will stop when I tell you to. Winner gets extra credit."

Hermione stared at Riddle, her hand flexing on the handle of her wand. She had never faced him directly in battle; that had all been Harry. Truthfully, she hadn't actually seen Voldemort in action at all. Every look she had been afforded had been from photographs and Prophet article clippings.

The only thing she found reassuring about their upcoming duel was that he was inexperienced now. Powerful and versed in Dark, but inexperienced in magic nonetheless. They both had had the same amount of schooling up until this point in their lives.

She fired the first spell. Her go-to. _Stupefy_.

She wasn't really surprised when he blocked it. His spell was quick to follow her own and she barely got a shield charm up in time. She fired _Stupefy_ twice more in rapid succession, zig-zagging out of his way as he returned her spells.

"Did you not say you were in combat before?" he asked.

She deflected his hex. "We're not supposed to talk." _Expelliarmus_.

His brow lifted as he almost lost hold of his wand, but he managed to keep it in hand. They began circling each other, stalking their prey, firing off spell after spell.

"We are only supposed to refrain from saying the spell we are using. Professor Merrythought said nothing-"

Both of them went still for a moment as her Stinging Jinx hit his kneecap, making him stumble backwards. She smirked at him as he inclined his head. "The villain always loses by talking too much."

"Am I the villain in this scenario, Miss Granger?"

She was fast enough to dodge most of his spell, but it caught her heal before smashing into the floor and she yelped. "You'll always be the villain, Riddle."

She wiped the smirk off his face by sending a series of jinxes and hexes his way. She saw something flicker in his gaze as he tried to volley, but could only defend himself against one before another was right there. "Keep that up and you will exhaust your core."

"My core and I can outlast you any day," she returned.

His brow furrowed in concentration as she increased the amount of spells she hurled at him. She barely registered that he had cast a shield charm and pushed outwards with magic, sending her spells back at her. She paused to dodge them, but one of them caught her in the thigh and she stumbled.

"You should open yourself up to more than Stupefy and other childish antics. When it is between life or death, those will surely get you killed," he taunted.

She dove out of the way from his _Bombarda_, raising her hands over her head as debris from the hole it made in the floor came after her. She fired blindly and heard him grunt in pain. Using the small advantage it granted her, she got up and moved out of his way again. "It's worked for me so far."

"It will not work forever," he warned her. "And you would be a fool to believe otherwise."

As if to prove his point, a spark of orange left his wand and struck her stomach. She remembered casting a shield charm, but the spell he'd sent had either eaten right through it or she hadn't cast it in time. She cried out and nearly staggered to her knees. She lifted her wand to retaliate, but he was faster. He mimicked her by firing one after another, only he was able to land his.

_Diffindo_!

He grunted as blood seeped down a long cut from his wand arm. She could see the slash she'd made in the sleeve of his robe. She could hear the collective hiss of the students around them at the sight of blood dropping onto the partially destroyed floor at his feet.

"There you go," he said, smiling at her as if it were Christmas Morning and she was the very thing he asked for. "Stop holding back."

They both fired a spell at the same time and their magic connected in the middle. An arc of orange and purple clashed, lighting strange shadows across the other students watching them. She was the one to release her hold on the spell first, throwing herself to the side and firing off more spells in rapid succession. She landed a few and he hissed in pain at her.

For a brief moment, she thought she might be able to win. She had him cornered against the ward and was channeling all her fear into rage and her rage into her magic. But she took too wide a step and lost her balance. A spell struck her wrist and her wand went flying from her hand. Riddle used his wand to lift her into the air and smirked at her.

"You fought well, Miss Granger."

She narrowed her eyes at him as her magic surged inside her body, sparking at her fingertips. His eyes flickered down to the sight and back up to her eyes, completely astonished. "Who says I'm done?" she asked and lashed out at him.

For a split second, surprise filled his eyes, and a moment later he was flying backwards, landing hard against the ward. She thought hard at him, her magic flowing through every pore of her skin. It curled around him and tightened. He struggled against her hold, unable to break free. She took a deep breath, finding the Dark traces of magic on the fringes of her core that called out to her like a siren. She beckoned it forward and it obeyed. It coiled around her wrists, begging to be used.

He smiled at her when he saw her hesitation. Challenge flashed in his eyes, daring her to push harder, to do the unthinkable. And had he just yielded, she would have let him go. But no, he had to goad her.

So she let him have it.

The harrowing laughter that pierced through the air was sickening. Somewhere, far in the background, students were gasping and crying in shock as Riddle writhed in pain. The Dark magic struck him again and again as she ignored Merrythought's insistence that she stop. She lashed out at Riddle until she her vision blurred and her magic began to sputter. Only when she had nothing left, did her hold on Riddle cease.

She stumbled back, blinking as if waking up from a trance. Most of the students were either staring at Riddle and sobbing or staring at her and cowering in fear. Either way, they were giving her a wide berth. Merrythought had withdrawn the wards and had rushed to Riddle's side, assessing him for damage.

And when her eyes landed on Malfoy, she knew she'd done something horrible. The way he was staring at her made it seem as though, of all the people in the room, she was the one that needed to be feared most.

She swallowed hard and ran from the room without a second thought.

* * *

Draco stood there in a stunned silence as Granger tore past him. He had seen plenty disturbing things, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Granger just a few moments before. The pair had dueled as if they were in some sort of elaborate dance only they knew. Spells hurled around them in a flurry. He had seen both of them in action to some extent in the past and now that he had seen them duel together, he never wanted to see it again.

Riddle had been holding back. That much was clear to everyone. He was testing her to see how far she would go. It wasn't until their magic had clashed between them that he saw Riddle's true power come out to play.

And when he thought he might tear down those godforsaken wards Merrythought had placed to free Granger from Riddle's hold, she had gone and done it herself.

He shuddered from head to toe as he recalled the look on her face. There was that smug determination in her eyes that he had seen a million times before. The one that he had been on the receiving end of many times over the years. It was a look that said her limits had been pushed and she had been underestimated.

And whatever source of power she had tapped into had wrapped around Riddle like his own fucking snake and nearly crushed him.

He, like the rest of the class, had set his gaze to Riddle. Watching as he struggled and writhed in silence from her assault. But after a moment, he looked at Granger. His blood had turned to ice in his veins once he saw the look on her face. It was cold; completely devoid of all emotions. She was just staring as if she were doing some sort of mundane Muggle task that wasn't even worthy of an emotion.

For a moment, he was reminded of Bellatrix. And much like the time his crazy aunt had tortured her on his Drawing Room floor, completely in her element, Granger looked as though she was right at home.

And when it ended, when the confusion and panic had settled in, she bolted.

He dropped his gaze to Riddle, expecting to see him hopefully dead or at least in pain, but no. The smug bastard was staring at _him_ with a smirk that said, _I told you so_. Draco's stomach flipped as his mind fluttered as a distant, unattainable memory floated just out of reach. When the moment passed, he turned on his heal and ran after Granger.

He found her in the Room of Requirement; the first place he looked. She was in the iteration they always found themselves in. He could hear her sobs the moment he stepped inside, but she wasn't in sight. He followed her cries and found her sitting amongst toppled bookcases with books scattered and torn around her. She had her back propped against one, hugging her knees to her chest, and her face pressed against her lap as she rocked back and forth. Her wand was discarded on the floor where he guessed she had either dropped it or threw it.

He knew better than to touch her at this moment, but when he got as close as he dared, he sank down to the ground slowly, sitting opposite her. He rested against a small wooden chest and stretched one leg out, the other raised so he could rest his laced fingers on his knee.

He wasn't sure if it was that she was just out of tears or if it was his presence, but after a moment of situating himself, her sobs dulled to the occasional sniffle.

"You should go," she whispered, her voice raw and cracked.

"Unless it's back to the future, I'm good right here, thanks."

She snorted and lifted her head slightly, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her robe. "I hate that movie."

Draco froze for a moment and then canted his head. "Did I make a Muggle reference?"

She nodded and tried to find a dry spot on her sleeve. He used his wand to conjure a box of tissues and then sent it through the air towards her. The box nudged her softly until she took it and set it down at her side. She used a handful of the tissues and he vanished each one the moment she discarded them.

"I made him bleed," she croaked.

"Good."

Her eyes flickered to his and then lowered again.

"He wouldn't stop goading me. Telling me my spells were childish." Her face darkened and he tried not to let his fear show on his face. "That I needed to stop holding back. He just kept p-pushing and I…"

"You spoke to him during the duel?" Draco questioned with a frown.

Her plucking of her robes ceased as she stilled for a moment. Slowly, her eyes came up again and locked with his. This time, she kept her gaze on him. "We had a whole conversation during our duel."

Draco wet his lips and gave a slow shake of his head. "Granger, neither one of your lips moved. Not even once."

Her entire body started to tremble and she bit her lip to keep it steady. Her eyes misted with a fresh wave of tears. "B-but we talked…" She sucked in a gasping breath and held it for a second. "When I lashed out at him at the end… H-he started laughing at me. Did you hear that?"

Draco shook his head again and he could tell when the realization hit her.

"He was in my head the whole time. What if… What if he saw something?"

Draco got off of the floor and didn't hesitate as he dropped to sit at her side; not even when she tried to flinch away from him. "Who cares if he saw something, Granger? Right now, you have to pull yourself together and go back to Merrythought. Apologize to her if you need to and show Riddle that despite the fact that he fucked with you, you bested him in a fight."

She nodded and wiped her tears away again. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet despite her trembling. Draco reached out to hold her steady and she flinched away from his touch. Playing it off, he reached down for her wand and handed it to her.

"You were scared of me."

He gave a slight nod as she took her wand and stowed it inside her robes. "Just thinking about how much worse I could have had it all those times I pissed you off. I would gladly take another broken nose."

He kept his voice light to mask the true terror underneath. Riddle had goaded her into using some form or another of Dark magic. And now that he knew what she was capable of, whatever sort of obsession the young Dark Lord already had for her was bound to increase. Draco knew he would stop at nothing to get her.

Granger smiled softly and squared her shoulders. "I drained a fair bit of my magic," she said as they started walking towards the exit.

"You don't say," Draco teased and reached for her hand before they opened the door.


	18. Chapter 18

**EIGHTEEN**

_**Wednesday, 17 September 1944**_

Hermione had gone back to the classroom to find that Merrythought and Riddle were the only ones left. She apologized for running away and explained that the duel had prompted some of her flashbacks from a previous experience. Merrythought accepted the answer and told her she wouldn't have to duel again unless she was comfortable.

Riddle hadn't said a word, but the way he was staring at her made Hermione squirm.

Afterwards, Hermione had gone to her dorm and slept. She wasn't sure if Malfoy had gone to his Ancient Runes class that morning, but she certainly skipped Astronomy. She woke sometime before dinner and asked Malfoy if he wouldn't mind eating in the kitchens with her instead of the Great Hall. Then they had gone back to the dungeons and Hermione slept until the following morning where she felt strong enough to eat breakfast in the Great Hall.

During Transfiguration, Dumbledore had asked them to stay after class. There, he let them know the details of their upcoming guest on Saturday. With plans to meet in the Hog's Head for lunch, Dumbledore stated he would escort them and they would return right after.

Charms had gone by as it always did; without any sort of mishap. It was Potions that they were dreading the most. And their suspicions were confirmed when Slughorn assigned everyone in the room with the name of one of three potions. Then he asked the class to form groups of three, making sure to include only one "representative" of each potion to that group.

As luck would have it, Hermione got Blood-Replenishing Potion, Malfoy received Calming Draught, and Riddle had the last one; Strengthening Solution. They exchanged a glance and Malfoy sneered at the hand they had been dealt as Hermione turned and locked eyes with Riddle.

Everyone else in the room had already split into pairs and since the rumor mill was just as thriving here as it was in the nineties, no one wanted to come anywhere near her at the moment. She titled her head as a gesture for him to join them and he did so with no hesitation.

"Alright, everyone, start working on your potions. You will be doing this today and Friday as well. You must pass as a whole so if one of your group gets their potion wrong, the three of you will fail." He smiled and waved at them to start before sitting behind his desk again.

"About yesterday-" Hermione started.

"Despite what happened, Miss Granger, I harbor no ill will towards you. It was a duel. You won." He smiled and extended his hand for her to take.

She looked at it and then back up at him. She could feel Malfoy against her back and his anger was rolling off of him in waves. "I was _going _to say that I know you were in my head and I did warn you about going in there." She gave him a dazzling smile as she grasped his hand, shook it once, and then released it quickly. "Now, let's get started. I will not be sacrificing my grades for either of you," she said and set about making a list of what they all needed.

When she was done making the list, Riddle held out his hand politely. She hesitated for a moment and he stretched his hand out further. "I can handle the ingredients, Miss Granger."

She needed to talk to Malfoy anyway, so she nodded and handed over the list. "Thank you," she said, mustering as much politeness as she possibly could in that moment.

Most of the class had chosen to worry about their own potions instead of truly focusing on the group aspect of the project. Which meant Hermione had a moment to speak to Malfoy without a ton of eyes on them. "_Muffliato_," she whispered and turned to stare at her partner.

"This has to be the worst cosmic joke ever played," he groused.

"It's not that bad. We'll just work on the potions and that's it."

"Do you not know how hard it is to know that he was fucking with you and that I have to keep my silence? That I'm afraid that either he'll attack me for standing up to him or that you'll attack me for defending you?"

She took a half step back as she raised her hand to her lips.

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That came out a bit too harsh," he sighed. "I'm not afraid of you, I just didn't want to risk a fight with you. Not over putting him in his place."

"I've already done that."

"You said he laughed at the end," Malfoy pointed out. "And the rest of us didn't hear a peep from him. If anything, I'd say all you did was recharge him and let him know you're a hundred times stronger than he already suspected."

Her eyes flickered towards the supply closet when students began coming back out of it. "It doesn't matter," she tried to reassure him. "He can goad me all he wants; I won't fall for that again." She couldn't risk it.

She could tell from the way the grey of his irises shined bright that he had questions about what he saw, but he knew better than to ask them here. Even as she saw him debate with himself on whether or not he should risk it, Riddle came back with their ingredients and she removed the silencing charm around them.

She helped him distribute the ingredients and began barking orders at the two of them as if they were Harry and Ron. It wasn't until Malfoy made a comment about knowing his way around a cauldron that Hermione stopped what she was doing. She took in the sight of Riddle to her right and Malfoy to her left. As reality sank in that they were certainly not her best friends, she items she was holding fell from her hands and she collapsed into her chair.

"Miss Granger, are you alright? You look a bit pale," Professor Slughorn said as he approached their table.

She nodded, but was desperately trying to breathe in a calm way. She could feel the panic attack coming and knew she didn't have long before it hit her with its full force. And just as her lips parted to start hyperventilating, she felt that familiar prickle at the back of her mind. She went still. Her skin prickled with gooseflesh and she stared down at her hands. She shivered as she saw the same Dark magic as the day before coiled around her wrists, ready for use again. There was a nudge at the back of her mind telling her to surrender and claim it.

She latched on to the presence in her mind and pinned it to the fringes. She concentrated and held it there while she brought forth every happy memory she could think of, slamming them with full force at the presence. The day she received a visit from a Ministry Official when she turned eleven. When she saw the library at Hogwarts for the first time. When Harry and Ron saved her from the Troll in First Year. So many of Harry and Ron. And of Malfoy telling her that he wasn't going anywhere.

When that memory faded, the Dark magic disappeared and the presence vacated her mind. She refocused on the fact that she was in the potions classroom and everyone was staring at her. Except Malfoy. He was staring over her at Riddle.

She cleared her throat and wiped at a few stray tears. She pushed herself to her feet and smiled at Slughorn. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, Professor."

He assessed her for another moment and then nodded, turning to the rest of the class. "Show's over! You have potions to brew!"

Everyone scrambled to get back to their own work and soon a pleasant chatter filled the air. She laid her hand on Malfoy's forearm and he did a double take as if forgetting she was there. "You actually do seem a bit pale," he said with concern.

"I'm fine. Still burnt out from yesterday," she said, giving him a weary smile.

He nodded slowly, but she knew he didn't buy it for a moment. He went to his potion after a moment and Hermione stole a glance at Riddle. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression. He studied her, searching for something. She had confused him, overwhelmed him with all her happy memories. Slowly but surely, he was able to tear his gaze away from her and the three of them set about brewing their potions.

Neither of them spoke again for the duration of the lesson.

* * *

_**Friday, 19 September 1944**_

Thursday had been a strange day. In Defense, Hermione had made sure to stay as far away from Riddle as she could and Merrythought opted for a lecture instead of another duel amongst students. All the anxiety she had had about Riddle coming to the library for their study session was relieved when he sent a note telling her there was a Prefect's meeting and he wouldn't be showing up. Only then did Malfoy pack his things and leave for class.

She had debated heavily whether or not to go to Astronomy, but in the end, decided to just go and get it over with. Riddle left her alone for the most part. When the bell rang, he looked as though he wanted to ask her something, but she had shaken her head and bolted from the classroom. She had spent the rest of the evening with Malfoy in the Room of Requirement.

It was Friday that really put Hermione in a mood. There was really something to be said about waking up on her birthday thirty-five years before her actual birth. It left her in a funk she wasn't quite sure how to shake.

She had barely paid attention in Transfiguration, kept to herself during their break, and in Charms, she let her mind wander too far. She had spent the majority of that class thinking that if Harry or Ron were there with her instead of Malfoy, they would still make her celebrate the day. Which turned her thoughts to Ron.

How she had spent the majority of their friendship harboring a crush for him. How he hadn't even noticed her until a little over a year ago and even then, hadn't really made a move until just a few weeks ago. And then she found herself comparing him to Malfoy. That he had admitted to noticing her since Third Year and the only reason he hadn't done anything about it was their opposing sides of the war. How, after only a few days of admitting there was a something between them, he was just waiting for her to sort herself out.

Which brought on a slew of other thoughts.

What would happen when they finally left this time and got back to their own? Would he even still want something with her? Was this something between them just a product of circumstance and a stress relief, or would they feel the same later? And how in the world would she explain any of this to Ron? What if they went back and Voldemort had won?

It was when the bell rang that she snapped out of her thoughts and found Malfoy watching her curiously. She cleared her throat and blinked as she realized she had been staring at him. A blush crept to her cheeks as she packed her bag. Had she been staring at him the entire class?

Lunch went about the same. Riddle had asked them to join and she accepted for the both of them. Malfoy may have been on edge about what happened in Defense on Tuesday, but Hermione hadn't shared with him what happened during her panic attack on Wednesday. She had sat on Malfoy's right, putting her at the edge of the conversation. She hadn't planned on participating regardless if she spent her lunch zoned out, pushing food around her plate with her fork.

Despite the fog in her mind and not to anyone's surprise, at the end of Potions, Riddle, Malfoy, and Hermione had turned in three perfect potions. They had found a rhythm after her panic attack that worked well for the three of them and it had resumed on Friday. The tension was still there between the three of them, but it was barely there by the time Potions started.

During the break, they went back to the dorms and Hermione laid down for a moment. She had told Malfoy that she would meet him in the Great Hall for dinner, but once she was sure everyone was eating, she took her leave and went to the Room of Requirement. Tears sprang to her eyes as she stepped inside. She hadn't really asked for anything specific, but she was longing for something familiar; something to bring her comfort. The room had conjured up and exact replica of the Gryffindor common room just as she remembered it.

She made her way to the little table behind the couch. She quickly removed her jumper in favor of the red and gold one that was laid out for her. Changed, she curled up into the arm of the couch and let the warmth of the roaring fire send away the chill of the dungeons. Slowly, tears leaked from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. More thoughts of Ron and Harry surfaced and mixed with thoughts of Malfoy and Riddle. She let her mind sift through it all and continued to huddle and cry until there was nothing left inside.


	19. Chapter 19

**NINETEEN**

_**Friday, 19 September 1944**_

Draco had spent the entirety of dinner staring at the entrance of the Great Hall. Granger hadn't shown up like she said she would. He had already been worried about her since Tuesday's outburst in Defense, but today it had escalated. He had never seen her so out of it before and he had ignored his instincts to take her aside and get her to talk. He regretted it now and hoped that she was okay.

He left dinner early and cast the necessary charms to get past the wards on the girls' dorms. He found her room easily enough; it was in the same place as the girls' prefects in his time. At first, he only saw three beds and had to work to see past her wards. He was surprised and smiled in admiration. No wonder no one could find them when they were on the run. If this was what she did to hide here, he could only imagine the wards she'd used in the open.

He felt his stomach twist with something at the fact that he was able to see past them. And when he moved forward, the wards resisted for a moment before letting him pass. She had allowed him to pass and he wasn't sure what to make of that. If that didn't tell him her level of trust in him, he didn't know what would.

But when it was clear that she wasn't there, he clenched his jaw and wondered if she should trust him. He had been nothing but horrible to her all her life. Had stood by and done nothing to stop is aunt from torturing her. Had hurled slur after slur at her each and every time he could. She shouldn't trust him. But she did.

He left before anyone found him there. He went to the kitchens and had them prepare something to go and then went straight to the Room of Requirement. When it didn't open right away, he figured she must be in there so he adjusted his request to simply find Granger. When the door presented itself, he stepped inside quickly, only to stop short once inside.

He had never been in the Gryffindor common room, but he knew this couldn't be anything else. Gold and red were everywhere. The large fireplace off to the side bathed everything in a warm, golden hue. Up until this very moment, he had thought Granger looked good in green; that she was doing well in the dungeons. But as he approached her and saw her passed out on the couch wearing a Gryffindor jumper, he knew green and silver would never compare to how she looked in scarlet and gold.

He considered leaving her alone, figuring her mood for the day was just her feeling disconnected from the present. Or future. He wasn't sure what was what anymore. But try as he might, he couldn't get his feet to turn and head for the door. Instead, when he did move, he found himself approaching Granger. He set the food on the table where her Slytherin jumper was and then moved around to the front of the couch. He sank down to his haunches in front of her and reached up to move the hair away from her face. It was clear she had been crying and his mouth went dry as he felt the need to make her feel better wash over him. He tucked a few of her curls behind her ear and cupped her face, swiping away tears that still had yet to dry.

She stirred under his touch, but she didn't wake. He stilled, not really wanting to wake her. She said something, but it was so soft and faint that he couldn't hear her. It wasn't until she said it again that it reached his ears and made his heart sink. She was crying again and calling out for someone.

Not _someone_.

Ronald Weasley.

Not himself.

He was kidding himself to ever think she would call for him in her time of need.

And it hurt more than he ever thought it would.

He snatched his hand away and got to his feet. He gave her one last look, eyes sweeping up and down her trembling form, and forced his feet to move. Only to be stopped before he could take his first step as her hand shot up to circle around his wrist.

"Don't go," she whispered, looking up at him, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

He lifted his eyes past her to the door and stared at it, biting the inside of his cheek hard to avoid saying something to her he would regret. He only dropped his gaze back to her when she increased the pressure of her fingers and tugged gently.

"Please, Draco. Don't go."

Draco. She had called him by his first name. She only did that when someone else was around. When it was the two of them, it was always his surname. His heart skipped a beat.

He nodded and she let go of him to wipe at her eyes. As he sat next to her on the large leather sofa, she pulled herself into a more comfortable position so that she was facing him. He reached for his wand and magically brought the food to her lap. "You skipped dinner," he said.

She smiled at him and wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her jumper. "Thank you."

"You have to eat all of it, Granger. You barely ate breakfast and you just pushed food around your plate at lunch. I know you're hungry."

She stared at him for a moment with wide eyes and then nodded, tearing a chunk of bread from the roll and dipping it into her soup. "I will," she promised.

He let silence lapse around them as she ate at her soup. He knew she was hungry, but was holding back from eating it as though she had no manners. When she was nearly done, he looked around the room once more before adjusting his position on the couch to look at her. "Why the Gryffindor common room?"

She leaned over to place the empty bowl on the coffee table and looked around with an amused twinkle in her eye. "How did you guess?" she teased. He felt his lips raise into a smile despite himself and her half smile went full blown. "I didn't know what I wanted when I came here. Just that I wanted something familiar. Something comforting."

He nodded and played with the stitching on the leather. "Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you or am I going to have to goad you until you crack?"

She eyed him for a moment and sighed when she realized he wasn't kidding. "Most of it stems from my panic attack on Wednesday," she started. He wanted desperately to ask questions, but knew it was better to just let her get it out. "It was right after I started ordering you two around in potions like you were Harry and Ron and you made a comment reminding me that you were competent." She swallowed. "It snapped me back to reality; that despite the fact that I was in Potions with Slughorn, it was not Harry Potter and Ron Weasley at my side. It was Tom Riddle and Draco Malfoy. So I started panicking."

"_He_ didn't start it?" He couldn't stop the question from being asked.

She shook her head. "No, but he took advantage of it. The moment I started losing control, he was there. I wasn't sure at first, if it was you or him. I thought maybe you were coming in to try and help so I dropped the rest of my guard, but it was Riddle. He brought up the Dark magic again and was begging me to take hold of it. So I pinned him and shoved every happy thought I had ever had at him until he was gone."

He was angry to hear of what Riddle had done, but he was more surprised that she had thought he would step into her mind uninvited and help her in that regard. He was more upset with himself for not thinking to do so. He narrowed his eyes as she dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap and saw the way her cheeks flushed crimson.

"Most of the memories I showed him were of Harry and Ron, but the last one…" She drew in a shaky breath and held it for a second. "The last one was of you."

He was glad that she kept her eyes down because he wasn't sure how to react from that confession. He knew they had grown a little closer since coming here; it would have been impossible to keep that from happening, but he hadn't thought what they'd shared could be linked to a happy thought. "Is that what you've been in a funk over? The fact that I was part of your happiness?"

There was a slight bitterness in his tone that he hadn't expected and her eyes snapped up to search his. "Yes, but it's more complicated than that."

He scoffed. "It always is with you."

She rolled her eyes at him and tossed her hair over one shoulder. "It was when I woke up this morning when I really felt off." She gnawed at her bottom lip and reached up to her throat, her fingers twisting absently at the air as one would fidget with a necklace. "Today is technically my birthday," she admitted, causing his brows to raise. "But it feels really strange to be alive knowing that my actual date of birth isn't for another thirty-five years. My parents haven't even been born yet."

His own stomach twisted with guilt. He had spent six years in a castle with her and he didn't even know her birthday. He hadn't cared enough about her to find out. His jaw clenched for a moment. "Well, happy pre-birthday," he said.

She looked at him, smiled, and then let out a laugh that even he couldn't help but smile to hear. "Thank you."

"So is that why you were staring at me for all of Charms today?" he asked.

She cleared her throat and her nails scratched at her throat. When she seemed to realize there was no necklace there, she brought her hand away slowly. "I started thinking that if Harry or Ron were here with me, they wouldn't have cared about the situation. That they would have made me celebrate in some way. Even when we were on the run, they…" She stopped when her eyes started to water again and shook her head. "Either way, technically, it's not my birthday and even more technically, it's only been six months since I turned eighteen." She sighed. "And I was staring at you because when I was thinking about Ron, I started to compare the two of you and then I went down this rabbit hole of what-ifs for the future."

He swallowed hard at the thought of the future. He had tried everything not to think about what lie ahead.

"And I know we've only snogged a few times, Malfoy, but those few times have changed things between us. I know we said we would forget what happened here, but what if we keep snogging? What if it leads to more? What if…" She let her voice trail, all the while looking at her lap again. "What if we can't forget when we get back?"

His head was spinning a mile a minute from everything she said. It was no wonder she was always wound so tight. He was sure she had only said a fraction of what was really going on in that mind of hers. He rubbed at his chin and shifted in his seat. He didn't have a real answer for her; not one that would help relieve any of her worries. "I don't know," he finally replied. "And I don't want to know what happens, Granger. I'm sick of knowing what my life is going to be like; of having it all planned out for me. For once, I would just like to play it by ear and see what happens."

He saw her still at his words and he reached out for her. He lightly wrapped his fingers around her chin and lifted her head so he could stare into her eyes.

"I mean it, Granger. Whatever happens, happens. There will be plenty of time to figure it out later."

She nodded as best she could in his grasp and then reached up to wipe a few new tears. He released her and watched as she relaxed a little. "Can we stay here tonight?"

"What about Riddle and the Astronomy Tower?"

Her lips quirked into a small smile as she shook her head. "He'll figure it out when I don't show."

He nodded and watched as she reached for her throat again. "What happened to your necklace?"

Her fingers paused halfway up her chest as she realized she was reaching for nothing again. She finished the distance and rested her hand at the hollow of her throat. "It was a gift from my parents when I started Hogwarts. They might not have known exactly what was happening or understand the wizarding world, but they were proud of me." She smiled sadly and her fingers began to tremble. "I never took it off, but I lost it."

"When?" he asked, kicking himself for doing so.

"When the Snatchers caught us," she answered, her voice on the verge of cracking. "It was when Scabior was questioning me about my blood status. When he finally realized who we were, he…"

Draco felt sick to his stomach. He scarcely remembered the Snatchers saying something about collecting a reward. Never in a million years did he think they meant anything other than Galleons. He had never felt so naïve.

"Did he-"

She shook her head violently. "No. He roughed me up enough to ensure that I understood his intentions, but when I struggled, he grabbed me by the throat and I lost the necklace in the scuffle." She shuddered and began to claw at her neck as if trying to get rid of the feeling of unwanted hands on her.

It was akin to the trance-like state she had been in on their first day here where she had scratched open the back of her hand. To prevent her from making herself bleed again, he reached out and wrapped her hands in his own. She stilled and blinked a few times as she came back to reality.

Instead of pulling back, she surged forward, curling into his side. He looped an arm around her back when she laid her head on his shoulder. Where she had drawn her knees up, he draped his other arm over her, his hand resting near her hip. She kept one arm bent between them with the other came to rest flat on his chest.

Neither one of them spoke. Instead, they listened to the crackle of the fire in the hearth and to each other's breathing. Slowly, their breathing regulated to a steady rhythm and Draco had barely registered she had fallen asleep before his own eyes fluttered closed and he drifted off with her in his arms.


	20. Chapter 20

**TWENTY**

_**Saturday, 20 September 1944**_

Draco woke to fingers running through his hair. The touch sent tingles through his entire body which led to a shiver. He thought it might have been a dream and he kept his eyes closed, not wanting it to stop. The next thing he noticed was the humming. It was faint, but it was definitely coming from the person playing with his hair. The melody wasn't one he recognized, but combined with the crackling of the fire and the occasional turning of a page from a book, it was heavenly.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the warm notes of honey and vanilla with a trace of rose underneath. It combined with the smoke and burning wood in the fireplace and nearly made him salivate. He cleared his throat and forced his eyes open, wanting to see what it was that was driving his senses crazy.

He froze at the sight. He was lying stretched out on the couch with his head in Granger's lap and she was staring at a book hovering in front of her.

She was continuing to read, the pages turning when she willed them to. All the while, she continued to hum and kept her fingers threading in and out of his hair. He wasn't sure if she even knew she was touching him in such an intimate way. He sure as hell wasn't ready for her to stop. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

When her humming stopped, he opened his eyes again and found her smiling down at him. "Morning," she greeted.

"Morning," he returned.

She surprised him by continuing her ministrations and returning her gaze to the book in front of her. He watched her for a few minutes and then realized that the more awake he was becoming, other parts of his body were beginning to stir as well. He cleared his throat and sat up, sitting in a way that he hoped wouldn't draw attention to his morning wood.

"What time is it?" he asked.

She lifted her wand and the time displayed for them. It was early enough that they didn't have to head back to the common room right away. Not that he was looking forward to going back there, but if he stayed here, drowning in her scent any longer, he was going to do something he wasn't sure she was ready for. He was in need of a either a cold shower to drive those thoughts away or a hot one to give into them.

He felt himself pale at his own thoughts. Sure, he had already admitted to himself and out loud to her that he had found her attractive, but she had never been part of his wanking material. And at the thought of her becoming a part of it, he hardened further and winced.

To make matters worse, she noticed the action and had turned towards him with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Granger," he tried to assure her, but the strain in his voice was audible. "Is there a loo in here?"

She nodded and pointed to the door behind them tucked away in a little alcove. He shot to his feet and hurried away, throwing the door closed with more force than he meant to. It was most unfortunate that he had to get up because now his bladder was demanding he empty it. And he had already found out the hard way he could not do that with a hard on.

He stood at the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Realistically, he knew he could probably rub one out fairly quick, but he wasn't sure he could look Granger in the eye properly after. Instead, he settled on thinking of the least attractive things he could. His usual go-to was writing lines. It was boring and tedious, but it led to thinking about ink and quills. Which led to sugar quills and the way Granger looked while consuming them.

He stared up at the ceiling a raked a hand down his face before pinching the bridge of his nose. Merlin, this wasn't going to be easy. He forced himself to think about everything he could never associate with Granger and slowly but surely, he felt his body relax. _Thank Merlin,_ he thought, pouncing at the opportunity to relieve his bladder before washing his hands and returning to the common area.

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed her standing at the back of the couch. She was holding the Slytherin jumper in her hands while leaning against the sofa. She was staring down at it with reluctance and it made him feel sorry for her. Slowly, he strode to her and she looked up when he placed his hands on the jumper and gently pulled it from her.

Slowly, he lifted a hand to her face and watched as she turned her cheek into his palm. His thumb caressed her skin as their eyes locked and gradually, he dipped his head down to hers. He was waiting for her to stop him, but she didn't move. His lips laid gently over hers and he felt her go still for a just a moment before relaxing into his touch.

He was content staying exactly as they were; even as his body begged to turn the innocence of the moment to something more. Before he gave in, he pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against hers. "We should go."

She nodded and slipped out from her spot between him and the sofa. She reached for the jumper again and made her way towards the bathroom without a word. He bit his bottom lip as she closed the door and tried his best to clear his mind. He desperately needed away from her if he wanted to keep his thoughts innocent about her.

When she emerged, she draped the Gryffindor jumper on the back of the sofa and stared around the room. When she looked at him again, she did a double take at his outstretched hand. She took it and smiled at him. "We can come back to this anytime you want," he promised.

"Thank you," she said, stepping into him to kiss his cheek.

He nodded in return and they took their leave. By the time they made it back to the dungeons, Granger seemed to be back to her old self again. She had kissed him again upon parting ways for their dorms and he rushed for the showers to deal with his earlier problem, hoping it wouldn't return every time she looked his way.

He was relieved to find that he could look her in the eye when he saw her next.

* * *

Hermione had been suspicious that Malfoy was up to something when he parted ways from her after breakfast. He told her not to worry, but it went against her nature to relax. In an attempt to get her mind off of things, she gathered her bag and went to the library to work on her assignments for the week.

It was there that Riddle found her. She did a double take at the cold look in his eye as he slipped into the seat across from her at the table she had chosen. "At least I had the courtesy to send you a note that I would be absent from our study session on Thursday."

She considered playing dumb and pretending to be surprised that she had forgotten, but instead she shrugged. "I'll be sure to send one next time," she promised him.

"You intend to miss another observation night, Miss Granger?"

"No, but it was it wasn't my intention to miss it last night either," she informed him, going back to sorting out her notes for her Charms essay. "And I'm sorry I didn't show."

He leaned in, like a snake waiting to strike, and she froze. "I guess I misjudged you, Miss Granger. I thought you were smarter than the average teenager. That you valued academia above extracurricular activities." When she looked up to meet his gaze, she was surprised by the anger she saw. "But I suppose I was wrong."

She narrowed her eyes and her nose scrunched in distaste. "Are you mad because I didn't show up or are you mad that I chose to spend the night with Draco elsewhere in the castle?" A smirk tugged at her lips as he answered her when his pupils dilated ever so slightly. "What, were you jealous when you realized your one hour of true alone time with me was being spent with my _boyfriend_?"

"You were out of bed after curfew and-"

She snorted and pushed back, arms crossing over her chest. "Spare me the Head Boy speech, Riddle," she demanded and then took a deep breath while shaking her head. "You have no right to be upset after what you did this week."

"What I did?" he questioned, his eyes shifting from mad to curious in an instant.

"During our duel. Draco said we weren't speaking aloud which means you were in my head the entire time. And then on Wednesday you were in my head again, taking advantage of my panic attack. Whatever game you're playing at, I-"

"Where did you get the traces of Dark magic from?" he asked, cutting her off.

"Prolonged exposure to a cursed object," she answered automatically.

His head canted to the side. "And what object was that, Miss Granger?"

"Does it matter?" she asked.

He inclined his head, eyes blazing. "Immensely," he answered and she shuddered at the way his voice wrapped around her. "Dark magic leaves traces, everyone knows that. But what I would like to know is how _you_ ended up with traces of _my _Dark magic on your core."

Hermione cursed herself for not realizing that aspect of magical traces. Of course he would have been able to tell. Maybe he hadn't been goading her after all. Maybe he was trying to lift the darkness from her and siphon it back to where it belonged. As her mind raced with those thoughts, she almost missed his mind slipping into hers.

When she realized it, it was too late. Her mind had already conjured up the locket. It was brief image of her staring at her reflection in the bathroom of the tent. Of the chain around her neck as her hand slowly crept up to wrap around the locket; the Dark magic pulsing beneath her fingers. Her eyes closed for a moment as the magic caressed her skin, longing to consumer her. When she opened her eyes again, Riddle was staring at her from behind, their gazes locked in the mirror.

He retreated from her mind on his own and when she realized she was back in reality, she was gripping the arms of the chair hard enough to turn her knuckles white as she panted for air. Riddle's eyes had gone nearly all black with rage as he stared at her. His chest heaved with indecision and disbelief.

Fear took hold of her and her natural instinct of flight took precedence. She bolted from her seat and down the nearest aisle, but he was faster. He caught her around the waist and dragged her back, slamming her into one of the bookcases. His fingers curled around her throat and she reached up to claw at him.

"Where did you get that locket?"

With each move she made in her struggle, his hand tightened its hold. It wasn't until her vision began to spot that her magic sparked at her fingertips and he released her. She sagged against the bookcase and gulped for air.

"Tell me," he demanded again.

She straightened and stared up at him in defiance. Against her better judgement, she spat at him. In his surprise, she tried to run again, but he was much faster than she anticipated. He slammed her right back into the bookcase, this time face-first. He then pressed himself against her back and yanked her head back with a fistful of her hair.

"That locket belongs to me, Miss Granger. And if you do not return it, I am afraid I will have to-"

"Granger?"

They both went still at the sound of Malfoy's voice. "Not one word to him," he demanded, tugging her hair harder until she nodded as best she could. "This is not over," he promised and released her, disappearing all together.

She took a few deep breaths as she tried to get her body to stop trembling. She adjusted her hair, hoping that it didn't look too messed up. She wasn't sure how she would be able to face Malfoy without him knowing that something had happened to her.

"Ah, I thought I might find the two of you here."

Cold dread swept through her at the sound of Riddle approaching Malfoy.

"What do you want, Riddle?" he asked.

"Harmony did not show for our observation last night. I was hoping I could catch her up on my findings."

She could practically hear the smirk in Malfoy's voice as he marked his territory with his words. "That would be my fault. It was her birthday yesterday and in my haste to make it a proper one, there wasn't much time to send you a note," he said. "And with you being Head Boy, I couldn't take the chance of you ruining my plans by catching us."

Hermione took one last deep breath and stepped around the corner. As she approached them, she forced herself to act nonchalant. "Couldn't find the book I needed," she said to Malfoy as she came to stop at his side. "Sorry about last night, Riddle," she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Perhaps you have some time before lunch to discuss what I observed?"

Her mouth had gone dry, but Malfoy answered for her. "No can do. We're meeting Dumbledore soon. He's taking us to Hogsmeade."

Hermione wished he had said anything else. She felt him tense up at her side as wrath poured out of Riddle despite the calm demeanor he retained. When his eyes connected with hers, she could feel the panic begin to rise again and had to cast her eyes down in order to stop it from hitting with full force.

"More of that special project?" he questioned. He didn't wait for their confirmations before adding, "Then before dinner?"

She nodded quickly and looked up at Malfoy, automatically reaching for his hand to lace their fingers together. He searched her eyes to see if she was okay and knew he could feel her trembling where she held his hand. She averted her gaze to Riddle. "We were going to come back and work on our assignments for the week. You're welcome to join us to share your observations."

He inclined his head and gave her a smile that made her tighten her hold on Malfoy to the point where she heard him take a sharp breath. "Then we will continue this later," he said and took his leave.

When he was gone, she let go of Malfoy's hand and dropped into the chair she had vacated when her knees gave out. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. "You nearly broke my hand, Granger. What gives?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at him, a smile plastered on her face. "Something about him today just felt a little off."

He nodded absently, studying her still. "Yeah, I felt that too," he said after a moment. "Good call on telling him I would be here for your study session this time," he said.

She let out a breath of relief. She was better at hiding her panic than she thought. "The less time I have to spend alone with him, the better, right?" she quipped and forced a smile before packing up her things.

"You sure you're okay, Granger?"

She nodded and continued what she was doing. "Come on, we should make sure we're prepared before we meet Dumbledore. We have what, an hour or so?"

He confirmed with a wave of his wand and nodded at her. "You really think you can tidy up your notes any further?"

"You think I can't?" she challenged, looking up at him.

He grinned from ear-to-ear and she found herself returning it with a smile of her own. At the action, she was able to get herself under control and shove the incident with Riddle to the side. Feeling better, she eased into a conversation with Malfoy as they waited for time to pass to leave for Hogsmeade.


	21. Chapter 21

**TWENTY-ONE**

_**Saturday, 20 September 1944**_

Promptly at eleven-thirty, Dumbledore entered the courtyard where Hermione stood sat with Malfoy while they waited. He smiled at them and Hermione fell into step beside him while Malfoy trailed behind. Since she had never really had the chance to chat with Dumbledore so candidly, she took the opportunity to do so. Every so often she would catch herself looking over her shoulder, stealing glances at Malfoy.

Up until her scuffle with Riddle in the library, she had been unable to think of anything but waking up to find Malfoy in the Room of Requirement with her. She had been dreaming of the night Ron left and knew she had been calling out for him. As she was waking, Malfoy was getting ready to leave and she had called out for him instead.

But unlike Ron, he had stayed.

She remembered feeling safe in his arms as she drifted off to sleep again. It was strange, to know that one person, the same one that caused her so much pain and suffering over the years, was the same person that could make her feel so safe and secure. She hadn't slept that soundly in ages.

And then she remembered waking up to find their positions had shifted during the night. That he had laid out on his back and she had lain over him with her head on his chest. She had been careful not to wake him as she got up to relieve the sting in her bladder and then was equally as careful when she moved him so he could rest his head in her lap when she returned.

She had gotten a good look at his features. It was the only time she had been able to truly get a good look at him. She could see a hollowness to his face; one that had slowly been worsening since Sixth Year. Aside from that, this was the most relaxed she had ever seen him as well. Her heart had skipped a beat when his lips twitched as she carded a hand through his hair.

She drew herself through her thoughts as she realized they had stopped walking and Dumbledore had asked her a question. She shook her head and smiled, hoping the heat wouldn't remain on her cheeks for long. "Sorry, Professor. Did you ask me something?"

"Just if you were alright. Professor Merrythought told me what happened in class on Tuesday and then Professor Slughorn told me of your panic attack on Wednesday. Neither incident prompted you to seek help from Madam Perth."

She nodded meekly and tried not to shudder at the thought of Riddle. "I'm fine, Professor," she said. "If anyone should have sought medical attention, it was Riddle. He's the one that bled."

There was a twinkle to Dumbledore's eyes and he inclined his head. "I trust you are keeping an eye out for each other," he said, looking at both of them. Malfoy nodded immediately and she followed suit. "I'm sure you brought your notes?" he asked her.

She nodded and subconsciously reached to her back pocket to ensure she still felt the shrunken bundle in her denim. She saw Malfoy track the motion and watched as his gaze lingered on her rear as she pulled her hand away. She smirked and when his gaze lifted to hers, he turned and reached up to rub at his neck, but not quick enough to prevent her from seeing the pink tint to his cheeks.

Dumbledore nodded and began to lead the way to the Hog's Head. When they arrived, Hermione wasn't surprised by the lack of a crowd. As it was, he led them to the corner where she and Malfoy sat two weeks prior. This time, there was an older woman seated there, a glass of dark liquid already in hand. She smiled when she saw them approach and put her hand out for Dumbledore to take.

"Students, this is Gilletta Marigold," he said. "Gilletta, this is Harmony and Draco. They're the ones working on that project about time travel."

"Ah yes, I heard a few students were vying for the internship at the Department of Mysteries. I used to work there myself," she said, smiling at them. "But then I'm sure Albus here already went and told you all of that," she said, gently thumping his arm. "Will you be a dear and order us lunch? I'm starved."

He gestured for them to sit and was surprised when Malfoy held out her chair for her. When she caught his gaze she learned that he was just as surprised as she was. Clearly he had not meant to be so chivalrous. "Thank you, Draco," she said quietly as she took her seat, watching as he sat next to her.

"Well don't you two make a cute couple," Gilletta beamed at them, making them both blush and look away. She waved them off with a laugh and leaned her chin on her palm. "How can I help you secure your future with the Ministry?" she asked.

Hermione reached into her pocket for her notes, ink, and quill. Then she pulled out her wand and made everything its normal size again. "I've poured over every book I could get my hand on, but the only thing that's appeared more than once is the Single Continuum theory. Professor Dumbledore said you might have some insight to that?"

"Oh dears," she said with a sigh. "I wish I could tell you more about my time in the DoM, but once we leave, our duties are sworn to secrecy with an Unbreakable Vow."

Hermione deflated in her seat and kept her eyes glued to her notes.

"But lucky for you, I've had plenty experience with that theory after I left my station there," Gilletta added.

Hermione lifted her gaze and couldn't help but return the smile on the older witch's face. "From what I've gathered so far is that the documented accounts of travel have been from people who went back in time on purpose. That they knew where they were going and what they would see. And that they knew how and when to return. How would they know such a thing?"

"Both times I've gone back in time, my return was the same as my entrance."

Hermione exchanged a glace with Malfoy and frowned. They had scoured every inch of the Room of Requirement. The door they'd fallen through wasn't there. She trusted her instincts on that. Gilletta's eyes narrowed at them curiously.

"Say someone came back in unexpectedly?" she questioned. "That they have no idea why that particular time was chosen and what they were supposed to gain from going there in order to come back?" She swallowed thickly under the weight of her gaze. "How would they get back to their own timeline?"

"In theory," Gilletta started, pausing as Dumbledore handed them each their Butterbeers upon his return. They thanked him before she continued. "The only way back is the same way they came. It has been the case for every documented account as well as my personal experiences. If the way they came has not been found, there must be another sort of event linked."

"So in theory, they would need to keep searching and eventually they will find their link to the way back?" Malfoy chimed in.

Gilletta nodded. "In theory," she replied, taking a drink of her own drink.

Hermione made notes on her parchment and tapped her quill against her lips before nodding and looking back up at Gilletta. "And how much truth is there in the assumption that the past cannot be altered? Professor Dumbledore has said that only the paths one takes from point A to point B might change, but the end result will still be the same."

"He is correct. Both times I have travelled backwards in time, I have arrived back in my own time at precisely the moment I left it and nothing about my current timeline had changed."

Hermione swallowed hard and scribbled another note furiously. The idea of going home when they found that door again had been a relief, but she wasn't too keen on returning to the Fiendfyre. She thought about Riddle and their last encounter. He had seen her wearing the locket. The very same Horcrux he wouldn't make until after he graduated. "Say we run into someone from our past here and they discover that we found something of theirs. Something they meant to hide from the world forever. How would that affect it being found in the same spot in the future?"

Gilletta pondered that thought with another sip of her drink. Dumbledore was studying her, most likely thinking it was in relation to Riddle. She wondered if she was the one to give Dumbledore the idea of Riddle having created Horcruxes. She could also feel Malfoy's gaze on her, but she refused to look at him. Instead, she took a sip of her Butterbeer and licked the foam from her lips when she pulled the glass away.

"There has not been a lot of study on that particular scenario, but from what I have seen it wouldn't affect the eventual outcome. If the object in question was found in the future, then it will still be found. My theory on this is that it would be found at the same time, even if it was in a different spot. Say you found this object in a cave and when you came back in time, the person who hid it there found out you had discovered it. They might move it to the bottom of the sea, but then in the future, you would find it at the bottom of the sea instead of the cave."

She scribbled more notes on her parchment and cursed herself for not bringing a blank sheet. She was running out of room. "Professor Dumbledore gave me the example of knowing someone's death would not prevent them from dying; no matter what they did. Is that correct?"

She nodded. "Yes. You could tell me that you're from ten years from now and that I die tomorrow. You could tell me exactly how and when I die and no matter what I do to avoid it will prevent my death. The only factor to change would be if I were to originally slip and fall on ice which resulted in a broken neck. So after knowing that, I decided to Apparate instead of walking somewhere. The result might entail my death by Splinching or some other fate. But it would still happen around the same manner it was supposed to."

The tip of her quill had barely dipped into the ink to jot down more notes before Gilletta's next question caused her to spill the ink across her parchment and the table.

"What year did you two come from?"

Malfoy used his wand to clean up the ink, sending it straight back into the pot. Her jaw dropped as she looked at Gilletta and only when Dumbledore gave her a nod did she answer. "We're from 1998."

She smiled at the two of them. "Tell me, does Grindelwald get what he wants?" she asked.

Hermione couldn't help but let her gaze wander to Dumbledore. She couldn't answer aloud, but gave the slightest shake of her head. "Have you not traveled to the future?" she asked.

"Personally no. It is much safer to travel backwards than forwards. Since time is linear in motion, time travel is like Apparation. You must have a destination in mind to be successful. Without it, you're going in blind."

Hermione scribbled a few more notes and then made room for her plate as the House Elf brought their food to the table. "Has anyone gone to the future?"

"Not that I can think of at the moment, but I will look into it. Should I find something, I will send word to Albus," she promised. "I'm glad to know the political unrest will be put to bed soon."

"It won't last long," Malfoy said, reaching for his Butterbeer.

Both Gilletta and Dumbledore looked between the two of them and gave them matching sad smiles. "We came back in the middle of a civil war. The second one at that," she replied.

"War is no place for children," Gilletta said. "I do hope that when you return home it ends quickly and there is no third."

"Thank you," Hermione said, packing up her notes and returning her supplies to her pocket.

While they tucked into their lunches, Hermione and Malfoy listened to the two elders exchange stories and set the pace of the conversation. Hermione knew she had everything she needed and was glad to know that even though Riddle knew she had, at some point, discovered the locket, it wouldn't change anything. They would still be able to find and destroy the Horcruxes no matter what.

It was after their plates had been cleared that she realized Malfoy's disappearance to the loo was taking far longer than it should. As she was about to ask Dumbledore to check on him or go and do it herself, Gilletta announced that she was taking her leave.

"It was very nice to meet the two of you," she said, shaking Hermione's hand across the table. "Should you have any questions for me, just have Albus send me an owl. I shall do the same should I think of anything that might help. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"I'll walk you to the Apparaition point," Albus said, standing with her. "Miss Granger, I believe you should wait here for Mister Malory's return. I trust the two of you can find your way back to the castle before dinner?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

She nodded earnestly. "Yes, Professor."

"Then I look forward to seeing you both in the Great Hall," he said and left with Gilletta in tow.

Hermione ordered another Butterbeer and sipped at it while she waited for Malfoy to come back. She was halfway done with it when he entered the Hog's Head through the front door. She did a double take at the sight of him and then tossed a questioning glance towards the bathrooms. "I didn't see you leave," she said as he slid back into his chair.

"Dumbledore kept you distracted so that you wouldn't see me," he told her with a shrug. It was then that she noticed he was keeping on hand behind his back.

"Is that where you disappeared to earlier? To scheme with Dumbledore?" she asked, trying to peek behind him. He moved out of her reach and smirked. "What did you do, Malfoy?"

He took a deep breath and waved at her with his free hand. "Close your eyes, Granger."

"Why?"

"Just do it," he huffed.

She stared at him for a moment and then let her eyes drift closed. She heard a bit of rustling and then felt his fingers brush over the back of her hand. Slowly, she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the large Cauldron Cake on a plate, a single candle lit in the middle of it. Her gaze lifted to his and he shrugged.

"Had you told me about your birthday, I would have made sure you had this yesterday. Happy Birthday," he said.

She blinked and felt her jaw drop as he looked away in embarrassment. "Th-thank you."

"You better make a wish before the candle melts."

She turned her attention to the flame before her and took a deep breath. _I wish I continue to see this side of Malfoy no matter what happens_. Then she blew out the flame and set the candle on the table. "Eat this with me?" she asked.

He nodded and she used her wand to cut the treat in half. When they both consumed their portion, they shared the rest of her Butterbeer and then sat there in silence. After a few moments, she got to her feet and he followed her outside. As much as she wanted to linger around Hogsmeade, she wanted to get their meeting with Riddle out of the way.

"Where's Dumbledore?" he asked.

"He left. Said he trusted us to get back to the castle before dinner."

He nodded and continued walking by her side at a leisurely pace. "I'm assuming you understood what Marigold had to say?" he asked.

"I think so. I'm going to sleep on it and then reread my notes," she informed him.

"Well I'm still bloody lost with this whole thing."

She laughed and reached for his hand, pulling him to a stop. "Couldn't be that you were too distracted by checking me out?" she asked.

His eyes widened a bit and smirked as he flushed. She smiled and reached up to bring his face down to her level. She wasted no time in pressing her lips against his and parting her lips. Her tongue sought his and when they met in the middle, she caressed it, smiling at the taste of Butterbeer and her birthday treat.

She let her hand slide back into his hair, her fingers threading through it as it had earlier that morning. A low moan escaped the back of his throat and when he tried to pull away, Hermione pressed down on the back of his head, keeping him there, her other hand fisting his shirt.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against him in return. A shiver coursed through her as he caught her bottom lip between his teeth. A whimper escaped her lips at the flash of pain followed by the pleasure of his tongue right after to soothe the bite. It was when she felt the brush of his thumbs under the hem of her jumper along her skin that she let go of him and stepped back.

She averted her gaze for a moment, knowing that if she looked at him again so soon, she would go in for more and wasn't sure if she would stop. She had never been intimate with anyone before; had never wanted to be. With Krum, she had been too young. With Cormac, she was pining after Ron, and with Ron, there was a war going on. They had only_ just _kissed.

When she did look at Malfoy again, he was smirking. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "So _that's_ what you do for a Cauldron Cake."

She smiled wide and smacked his arm. "Prat," she said, taking off towards the castle again. When she paused and turned around, she wasn't surprised to find his attention directed towards her lower half.

"Keep going, Granger," he teased. "I'll catch up."

She rolled her eyes. "Not a chance, Malfoy. Side-by-side or I make you blind until we get back to the castle."

"Spoil sport," he mumbled as he joined her at her side again.


	22. Chapter 22

**TWENTY-TWO**

_**Tuesday, 23 September 1944**_

When they had returned, they went straight to the library to find Riddle already waiting for them. Their exchange had been brief. Had he still been angry with her, he was doing well to hide it. He had left immediately after letting her peruse his notes and make copies of her own. When he left, they continued to linger in the library to work on their assignments.

Whether there was a meeting with Riddle and his crew or not, Malfoy never went and Riddle never asked.

Sunday they had taken their walk around the Black Lake after breakfast. They exchanged small talk and stories about their childhood and by the time lunch came around, Hermione couldn't keep the smile from her face. For the rest of the day and their time together in class on Monday, she knew they had crossed a line they couldn't come back from. That in the span of a few short weeks, they had gone from enemies to more than friends.

Their fake relationship was starting to feel very real.

And she didn't hate the idea.

Tuesday after Defense, they found themselves in their usual spot in the library. Malfoy was sitting at her side as she poured over her notes from their meeting with Gilletta. He was reading over her shoulder as she tried her best to explain it to him.

"In Third Year, I was able to go back in time just a small amount every day so I could attend all of my lessons. That was how Harry and I saved Buckbeak and Sirius. Everything we did was just as it was supposed to be. We just didn't let our future selves be seen in the present. We just don't have to worry about that aspect here."

"And?"

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "That means that no matter what, we were always meant to save Buckbeak and Sirius. There was never a future where the execution took place or Sirius went back to Azkaban."

"So you believe that this is right then?"

She nodded as another thought occurred to her. "You said that Voldemort had it bad for me specifically."

He stiffened and then inclined his head. "So us being here, it was always meant to happen and your evidence is that the Dark Lord remembers it?"

She nodded quickly. "That's my theory. There's no way to know for sure without seeing his memories and since we're in the past not the present, that's impossible. Nothing we do here will change anything; we just have to figure out what it is we're supposed to accomplish in order to get back."

"Hang on," he said, the tone of his voice threatening to burst her bubble of joy at having put a cap on that train of thought. "I don't think you understand the nature in which the Dark Lord seemed to _remember _you."

She swallowed, her throat tight and mouth dry. Slowly she met his gaze. "He's always had it out for you, Malfoy. Maybe he tasked you the impossible to try and get rid of you so that I would find myself travelling back in time alone. Maybe I'm the reason he hates Muggle-borns so much."

"That's not what I meant," he said, his voice low.

"I know what you meant," she said, looking back down at her notes.

She could still feel the weight of his gaze on her and did her best to ignore it. It was when he laid his hand over hers, forcing her to put down the quill that she closed her eyes. "Has anything...happened between the two of you?" he asked, his voice strained and barely audible.

She shook her head and looked up at him. "I would tell you," she said, her voice shaking. She recalled their encounter a few days prior when he had shoved her into the bookcase. She shuddered to think what might have happened with Malfoy's theory. "And no. So far, aside from the duel and getting in my head a few times, he's been tolerable."

He searched her gaze for a moment and then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I don't want to put those thoughts in your head, but you weren't there when he came to the Manor. You didn't see the way he tortured my aunt for hurting you. It was…" He paused and carded a hand through his hair. "It wasn't like a madman wanting the first spell for himself. It was like fear of losing something he cared about to the carelessness of another."

She reached for him and thread her fingers through his, squeezing tightly.

"And I've seen the way he looks at you here, Granger. You've seen it too. He's obsessed; something that just keeps growing the more power and knowledge you throw his way. All that duel did was make him want you more."

She shrugged; refusing to show him that she had already considered all of that a hundred and one times as she recalled every encounter with Riddle so far. "Let him be obsessed. That's his problem."

He eyed her wearily until they both looked up at the sound of the bell. "I'll meet you here after class," he said, gathering up his things.

She nodded and stood up with him, pulling the pass Dumbledore had given her for the Restricted Section. He leaned in to kiss her and she kissed him back. She watched him leave and the moment he was out of sight, she tucked the pass into her pocket and ducked into the Restricted Section.

She had spent most of her Hogwarts years in this section thanks to the Invisibility Cloak and felt confident about where things were. So she let her mind wander to her conversation with Malfoy about Riddle as she perused the shelves until she reached her destination. When she came across the tomes on Soul-Binding and Dark magic, she pulled one out at a time, browsing through the faded and torn leather tomes until she found what she was looking for.

There was a book that called out to her, almost as if the text itself had drawn her to it. _Secrets of the Darkest Arts_. She skimmed until she found the passage about Horcruxes and then leaned against the shelf as she backed up to devour every word.

She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't hear him approach. Not that she thought she would have heard him regardless, but she would have liked to think she wasn't so easily distracted by the written word.

"I hope you have a pass for this section of the library, Miss Granger."

Her entire body went cold at the sound of his voice as she snapped the book closed and hugged it to her chest. "I-I do," she said. "Dumbledore gave it to me."

"Of course he did," he said, his gaze dropping to the book. "And is that title relevant to your special project with Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

"N-no."

"Another side project then? You seem to have your hands full of those."

She nodded and felt her spine go rigid as he took a step towards her. He continued to approach until he was within an arm's reach. When he stopped, he reached out and took the book from her. She resisted at first, but he tugged harder and she let him take it.

"Are you familiar with the subject matter of this book?" he asked.

"Sort of."

"It is quite Dark in nature. Something this school should consider removing lest it fall into the wrong hands."

She scoffed and realized her mistake when he smirked at her. He opened the book, right to the passage she had been reading. As if he was intimately familiar with the words on that particular spot. He skimmed the page and then stared back at her.

"Read it."

She took the book from him with trembling hands and looked at the paragraph he had indicated. "_A soul can be split into pieces. That the severed piece of soul can be bound to an object, thus creating a Horcrux. The purpose of these Dark objects is that, should the mortal vessel be destroyed and removed from this earth, the soul may bring it back or reconstruct it, thus preserving the person from the fate of death._"

Hermione stopped when he tugged the book back and snapped it closed, making her jump.

"How do you think one can achieve splitting their soul?" he asked her.

"Murder," she replied. "And the desire for immortality and power over sanity."

"And what do you think one would do should they be able to achieve their goal? The lengths one might go to ensure that their Soul Shard remains hidden and protected from those that seek to destroy them?" His temper was beginning to flare and she thought he might lash out at her again.

"I imagine someone would go to great lengths to hide such an object," she said, her voice as calm as she could manage. She might be trembling in fear, but she refused to show it as much as she could.

He stepped closer to her and she straightened her spine in effort to shrink back as much as possible. "How did you come across that locket?"

"It was a gift," she answered. "From R.A.B."

He stared at her, debating on whether or not he should believe her. And even as she felt him enter her mind for proof, she was already conjuring the note they had found in the fake locket, but altering the words just enough.

"I received it anonymously," she said as he retreated.

He frowned at that. "Do you have any idea what that locket is? What bloodline it belongs to?"

She wet her lips as she considered her options. She could lie, but she knew he would find out. "Salazar Slytherin."

His eyes flashed; he was impressed with her knowledge. But beneath his admiration, he was both frightened and angry. "When it was _gifted _to you," he stared, "was it already cursed?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized he was figuring it out. She wracked her brain and she went completely still when she remembered that he hadn't found the locket and turned it into a Horcrux until a few years after graduation. At the moment, he hadn't even known of its existence. She had confirmed his suspicions based off a glimpse of her memories.

Unable to speak, she simply nodded.

"And you put it on without knowing what it was or who it was from?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice at her foolish behavior.

She raised one hand up into the small distance between them. "It called to me. I couldn't resist the pull." Trying her hardest, she called up the Dark traces and let them wind around her wrist for Riddle to see, lingering for only a moment.

"I hope you have your- Oh, hello, Tom."

She snatched her hand from the air and Riddle turned away as the librarian stepped into view from a stack. "Hello Madam Gresham," Riddle said, his voice morphing from excitement to calm and collected with a practiced ease. "And yes, Miss Granger does have a pass from Professor Dumbledore. I have verified it myself."

"Oh," she said, giving them a smile. "Do remember this is a library, dears. I advise you take…_this _elsewhere or I shall have to revoke your privileges for a time."

Hermione nodded along with Riddle, but dropped her gaze to the ground. Gresham thought they were behaving like normal teenagers instead of discussing Dark magic like it were nothing more than small talk about the weather. "It won't happen again," she said, moving away from Riddle. "I'll see you in Astronomy," she added, using the distraction as a way out of the Restricted Section; away from Riddle.

On her way out, she shrunk all of her items still on the desk, swept them into her bag, and hightailed it to the Room of Requirement. There, she opened her book that was linked to Malfoy's copy and wrote him to meet her there instead of the library. And to bring lunch as she had no intention of going to the Great Hall at the moment.


	23. Chapter 23

**TWENTY-THREE**

_**Friday, 26 September 1944**_

Friday found them in the Room of Requirement again. Draco wasn't sure if he would ever get used to sitting in a replica of the Gryffindor Common room, but if Granger could stomach sleeping in the snake pit, he could tolerate a few hours in the lion's den. It was after dinner and they were just killing time before she had to go to the Astronomy Tower with Riddle.

He knew from experience that she was getting restless. He had seen first hand that she could sit in one spot with the same book for hours and only get up if the room was on fire. But now, her leg was bouncing and she couldn't find a comfortable position on her side of the couch to save her life.

He tried his best to ignore her, but it got to the point where she stood in front of the fireplace with her book and began to pace while she read. He snapped his book closed and set it on the coffee table, but she never noticed. "What's gotten into you?"

Her ability to tune people out when she was lost in thought was impressive.

And annoying.

"Granger?"

When she continued to pace, he muttered a few choice curses under his breath and got to his feet. He stood in her path and snatched the book from her hands. She tried to get it back and he cast a charm that kept it hovering far above them. She crossed her arms over her Gryffindor jumper and turned a sour look his way.

"Give it back," she demanded.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," she snapped.

He snorted. "And Potter's the King of France."

He glanced down to where her foot was tapping at the ground and then up at where her fingers were drumming against her forearms where they were folded. When his eyes landed on her face again, she rolled her eyes at him and took to resume pacing. Or tried to until he blocked her path again.

"Granger, you're driving me insane. Will you please talk to me? I thought that was part of our arrangement here? We can talk about anything; no judgement."

She shook her head slightly. "Trust me, Malfoy, you do not want to discuss _this_ problem with me."

"If it helps you be less irritable, then yes. Yes I do." He shrugged and quirked his brow. "Try me."

A sly grin spread across her face and the flash in her eyes made him rethink his need to challenge her. "Alright, _Malfoy_. I'm irritable because I started my period the other day and normally, I have Muggle pain relievers to help me as the potions to help with the cramps makes me far too nauseous. Also, it's the first one I've had since we escaped Bill and Fleur's wedding last August due to the stress so it's like my body is making up for lost time." She took a deep breath and cocked her head as if to say _I told you so_.

She was right. He did not want to have this discussion with her. He reached up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. However, he had pushed her so he felt as though he should offer assistance as best as he could. Not that he was sure he would be able to offer much. The only witch he'd ever been with had been Pansy and she sure as hell hadn't discussed this topic with him. If anything, it was the one week a month he was able to have some free time to himself.

"Is… Is there something I can do to help?"

Her eyes went wide. Clearly she had not been expecting that sort of reaction from him. She shook her head after a moment. "Not unless you have chocolate stashed away for immediate consumption."

He smirked. "We could head down to the kitchens."

She shook her head. "I don't want to leave just yet."

"Then why don't you call for the House Elves? I'm sure they would bring you anything you ask. That is what they're here for."

He realized very quickly that was the wrong thing to say to her. He had never seen her angrier than she was the moment the last word left his mouth. He barely had enough time to brace himself before she shoved him with a surprising amount of strength.

"You privileged, arrogant little Pureblood prat!" she seethed, shoving him again and again with each word.

"What?" he snarled, trying his best to step out of her reach, but failing every time. "What the fuck, Granger?"

She stopped her assault when she realized he was cornered between her and the wall at his back. "Those poor creatures are forced into slavery! They should be doing this work for a fair wage. They shouldn't be forced to answer anyone's beck and call! They-"

"Granger!" he snapped, grabbing hold of her wrists as she geared to hit him again. He pulled her to him and straightened his spine, using his height to tower over her as he peered down into her eyes. "Stop hitting me."

"Let go, Malfoy," she demanded, trying to detach herself from him.

"You're absolutely daft if you think I'm letting you go until I can guarantee my nose won't be broken a third time."

"Malfoy-"

"I was just making a suggestion!" he snapped. "And, for your information, Wembley would have been happy to be summoned and assist you. Merlin, Granger. I know you have a penchant for lost causes, but-"

He stopped as the fight died out of her immediately. The murderous look in her eyes gave way to one of surprise and her fists had unfurled. "You…You know their names?"

He slowly let go of her wrists, but continued to watch her intently for any signs of returning anger. "He's one I recognize from our time. He was fond of Dobby."

He watched as a sadness crept into her eyes at the mention of his former House Elf and it confirmed his suspicion that his aunt's knife had hit its mark after all. She blinked rapidly to keep herself from crying and smiled softly at him. "I had almost forgotten he belonged to your family."

Draco gave her a stiff nod. "Just so you know, assuming things about me because of my Pureblood status is just as bad as me assuming things about yours. I happen to treat my Elves with respect. I know my father was horrible to them, but I-"

She cut him off by throwing her arms around his neck and wrenching his head down to hers. Her lips were hungry as they moved against his. After the initial shock wore off, he lifted his hands to her waist and held tight. Her fingers thread through his hair, tugging slightly. He groaned into her mouth as he pushed them forward.

When they reached the couch, he spun them and dropped onto the cushion, pulling her down into his lap in one fluid motion. Her jean clad legs landed on either side of his hips and he felt a fresh wave of arousal when she moaned into his mouth. He could feel her skin where her jumper had ridden up ever so slightly. In a bold decision, he pushed his hands up her side beneath the jumper.

She whimpered and scrambled off his lap, stumbling and landing on the coffee table behind her. She tugged her jumper down and held it tight enough to turn her knuckles white. He simply let his hands drop to the tops of his thighs, staring at her with caution.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "N-no." She shot to her feet and had scurried around the couch to retrieve her Slytherin jumper before ducking into the bathroom with a slam to the door.

He waited for what felt like eternity for her to emerge and when she did, she only came around to grab for her bag before turning towards the door. He grabbed her wrist and stood up to face her. "Granger-"

"I'm going to see if Madam Perth has anything else that I can try and then I'll head straight to the Astronomy Tower. I'll see you tomorrow, Malfoy," she said, tugging her wrist from him.

He sighed and relinquished his hold. Realistically he hadn't hurt her; he knew that. He had only gone with the flow and realized that she, clearly, still had reservations about him. He tried not to think about it too much and decided it best to just give her space for now. If there was one thing he had learned about her in their near month of being stuck together, it was that she would talk to him eventually. He just had to wait for her to come around.

* * *

Hermione felt bad about lying to Malfoy about why she was leaving. She had no intention of going to the infirmary. Instead, she sought out the place she had escaped to the night she saw Ron kiss Lavender for the first time. Only this time, she didn't conjure any birds to keep her company.

She had sat on the bottom step and sagged against the wall for support and tilted her head back against the stone. She closed her eyes and sighed. One hand stole up jumper to caress the intricate web of scars that stemmed from her diaphragm and fanned out to her ribs beneath her breasts and up between them until it neared her heart.

No one aside from the healers at St. Mungo's and Harry had seen them. The former only because they had tended to her until she woke from her field trip to the Department of Mysteries and the latter when he accidentally walked in on her in the single bathroom of the tent. It had been almost two years since she'd been hit by that unknown curse and not only did it still hurt on occasion, but she hated the way they looked.

She wasn't sure what had been the driving force in stopping Malfoy; the fear that she was actually ready to be intimate with someone or the fear of letting anyone see the scars. Either way, she felt bad for running out on him like she had.

When it was time to meet Riddle, she shoved those thoughts away and prepared herself as much as humanly possible. She took her time getting to the corridor where the entrance to the Astronomy Tower was and was surprised to see that she was there first.

She didn't have to wait long. Riddle arrived shortly after she began unpacking her bag. He had looked mildly irritated when he walked into the tower, but a smile curved his lips when he saw her there. "When you were not ready in the common room, I thought you had stood me up again," he said, taking a seat beside her to unpack as well.

Hermione nodded. "You were wrong," she stated. "Obviously."

He inclined his head. "It would seem that is the case when it comes to many things involving you."

Hermione said nothing as she pretzeled her legs, balanced her notes on her right knee, and tucked some of her curls behind her ear. "According to our charts, the next New Moon should be this coming Tuesday. The…thirtieth," she said after a quick scan of her handmade calendar.

"Might I suggest we move our observation night to Tuesday?"

"Instead of that Friday?" she asked, keeping her eyes on her notes instead of looking at him.

"Yes. We can talk to Professor Daedalus on Tuesday after class. I am almost certain he would have no problem with it."

She nodded. "Would you be opposed to meeting earlier as well? Midnight's fine for Friday's, but I'd prefer to be in bed well before then when I have classes the next morning."

"Nine?" he suggested.

"Perfect," she said and jotted the switch in her notes. After a moment, she tapped the edge of her parchment with her quill. "When was the last New Moon again?"

"The First of September. You would have seen it had you and Mister Malory had not tried to Apparate into the castle," he said, tilting his head at her.

She went still as a statue at his words and felt her breath hitch. "Oh," she mumbled, making a few extra notes. She made a mental note to talk to Malfoy about that. It was a long shot, but maybe the incident was connected to their way home. Either way, she would make sure they were in the Room of Requirement either before or after meeting Riddle on Tuesday night.

She charmed her parchment to follow her as well as her quill and ink pot as she got to her feet and made her way to the telescope. After a quick cleaning charm, she began her normal routine of charting for the evening. As it had been nearly a month of doing this, it wasn't hard to find all the points she was responsible for noting and when she had finished her notes, she stepped away for Riddle to take his turn.

She gasped from his nearness when she turned around, the hold on her magic slipping, sending her items to the ground. Riddle's magic caught them before they landed and sent them back to where she had sat before.

"When were you gifted that locket, Miss Granger?"

She swallowed hard and tried her best to remain calm. She knew showing him fear was bound to bring forth the violence in him. From their last encounter, he had responded better when she was truthful up front. "A few months ago," she said, her voice less shaky than she had thought it would come out.

The corners of his mouth fell as he gave her a stern look of disappointment. "I had hoped that you would be more honest with me," he said. "You forget that I have been in your mind. That I have seen things about you. I have also seen the nature of some of your reading material. Time travel is not something Hogwarts offers in its curriculum."

He took a step forward and she took one back, stopping only when the railing of the balcony pressed against her lower back. She gulped back fear as he continued to approach.

"You might as well tell me the full truth, Miss Granger. You and I both know you are not a transfer from Durmstrang. Neither is Mister Malory. I am also aware that those are not your real names." He stopped when she could feel the heat of his body through their clothes. His breath fanned her face when he spoke next. "I will ask you one more time, Miss Granger. When were you gifted that locket?"

"June," she whispered, her body trembling.

"Of what year?"

"Nineteen-ninety-seven."

He had admitted to knowing her secret, but when she confirmed it, he paled. He took a few steps back from her, his fingers carding through his dark hair. His chest was heaving with shallow breaths as the reality of her admission sank in. She braced herself, ready for some sort of outburst; an invasion of her mind for more details or to be struck with his magic.

But it never came.

Instead, he turned and left her alone in the tower.


	24. Chapter 24

**TWENTY-FOUR**

_**Tuesday, 30 September 1944**_

Draco had been surprised when Granger had returned to the common room early and alone. He had been waiting up and had not seen Riddle come back; not that he really cared. She had seemed slightly shaken, but he wasn't sure if it was from their earlier encounter, the things she had told him, or if something had happened with Riddle on the tower.

Either way, she seemed to relax when he caught her off guard and presented her with chocolate he had acquired from the kitchens. She had taken it without hesitation and thanked him by sharing it with him as they sat together for a few minutes on the couch before she eventually bid him goodnight and retreated to her room.

The weekend had been abuzz with the announcement of the first Hogsmeade trip the following Saturday. From the moment he heard about it, Draco knew what he wanted to do, but found he was more nervous than he should be. He chided himself each time he felt doubt.

They had spent the weekend in the library working on their assignments. It was late Sunday night when she told him about the New Moon and her theory. That she and Riddle were planning to meet Tuesday night instead of Friday and that they should search for the door again.

When she had mentioned Riddle, he realized he hadn't seen his roommate much. If he had come to bed Friday, it had been after Draco had fallen asleep and he was gone before he woke. He hadn't been in the Great Hall for meals and even the others in his group were asking him if they had seen him.

It made him wonder if something had happened after all between him and Granger, but she seemed fine and he didn't want to push. He was certain she would have told him.

Monday morning Riddle had been in the Great Hall for breakfast, but he left when his group came to sit near him. He was also in their classes, but whenever Draco stole a glance his way, he was simply staring at the desk or the floor. It was the same on Tuesday as the pair of students dueled before them.

Whatever his deal was, he seemed to snap out of it by dinner Tuesday night. He entered the Great Hall shortly after the others and sat with his group. Draco had already sat with Granger and her roommates and had no plans to move, but he kept a weary eye on him anyway. By the time they departed the Great Hall for the Room of Requirement, he had decided that he was going to ask her what he had been putting off all weekend.

"Do you know what time it was when we came here?" she asked as they walked through the halls.

He shook his head. "No. I just remembered it was dark."

She nodded. "If we don't find anything beforehand, will you stay here while I meet Riddle? I can come back after. I don't want to miss out in case it's a combination of the New Moon and the time."

"Sure," he said, pausing as she stepped up to one of the windows with a step-up balcony and pushed up on her tip toes to lean over the railing. "What are you doing?"

She stepped away from the window and smiled. "Just seeing how much longer until the moon is at its peak in the sky," she replied. "By the looks of it, we have an hour to kill before we might see anything."

They continued on their way to the seventh floor, stopping next when they had reached the Room of Requirement. She gestured to the door and stepped back. "What, you can't do it?"

"If I ask, I'm going to think about Gryffindor," she replied.

He rolled his eyes and stepped up to the door to unlock the right iteration. When the door appeared, he held it open for her and then closed it once they were inside. Slowly, they made their way to where they had pinned down the most likely area the door would appear. Not to either of their surprises, no door presented itself.

"It's still early," he muttered, not necessarily directed at her.

She nodded in agreement anyway and then moved to table to her left. He watched her rummage through the junk carefully. He had learned quickly that she wasn't good at sitting idly and since they were just waiting for her to meet Riddle and for the door to hopefully appear, she would do anything to avoid sitting still.

He also knew now was a good a time as any. He cleared his throat and Granger briefly turned her attention to him, doing a double take when she saw the nervous look on his face.

"You alright, Malfoy?"

"I heard you making plans for Hogsmeade with your roommates," he said lamely. Of course he had heard; he had been sitting right next to her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and set down the object she was holding. "The plans you were present to hear a few minutes ago?" she challenged.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe spend some time with me there."

He saw her jaw tick as she tried not to smirk at him. He felt his face flush with heat and cursed her for making him feel like a blithering idiot. "What did you have in mind?"

Merlin, he wanted to go back in time and stop himself from initiating this conversation. "How would you feel about Madame Puddifoot's?"

Her eyes widened slightly. She knew exactly what it meant went people went to that particular tea shop. "Are you asking me on a date, Malfoy?"

"Only if you say yes," he replied.

For a moment, she continued to stare at him, but slowly a grin took hold of her lips and she nodded, crossing the distance between them so she could take his hands in hers. "Then I accept." He returned her grin and let out a breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding. "What brought that on?" she asked.

"Honestly? For one, it's rude to snog someone so often and not take them on a proper date. And two, I want to make it clear that this something between us isn't just snogging. I want you to trust me, Granger. And I understand that it's going to take way more for you to trust me than it is for me to trust you. It all stems from how fucking awful I've been to you all those years and I'm trying." He took a deep breath and laced their fingers together. "And I know that won't go away overnight, but I don't want you to run from me like you did the other night. If you're not ready, I want you to be able to tell me."

She wet her lips and he felt her hands go clammy in his as she gave thought to his words. Heat crept up her face and she looked down at their joined hands as she spoke. "Part of it had to do with trust," she admitted. "I'm not sure if it was that I do trust you to some degree or that I just don't trust you completely." She drew in a shaky breath and when she tried to pull her hands from his, he refused and she stole a glance up at him.

"And?"

She stopped trying to pull away, but held his gaze this time. "Most of it was that I've never… done any of this. With anyone." The last few words were barely audible and he went still. He had assumed as much given how much he had come to know about her over the past month, but it still shocked him.

"All jokes and teasing aside, Granger, I don't have all that much experience with this stuff either."

She eyed him wearily and he saw that she wanted to comment, but wasn't sure.

"My first kiss was Pansy in Third Year. She was my first…everything. My only everything. Most of our…relationship if you must, was just snogging. Aside from a few times here and there over the course of Fourth and Fifth Year, all we ever did was snog. Pansy just liked to talk and I let her."

Granger was staring at him strangely from his confession. For a moment he wished he hadn't told her, but then she told him her story.

"My first kiss was Viktor in Fourth Year, but he was older and he wanted more than I was ready to give so I pulled back. Then there was Cormac," she said and he frowned at the memory he had seen from her. "I only asked him to be my date because Ron had gone with Lavender. Even after he had already made plans to go with me. I knew Cormac liked me, but it was clear what he was after and I discovered rather quickly I was not that kind of girl. Even if he hadn't made it clear he wasn't interested in the long term, it wouldn't have lasted long." She looked down again. "And then Ron and I kissed just a few minutes before we went to the Room of Requirement. We hadn't even talked about anything…"

"So him running after us screaming 'that's my girlfriend' was him assuming?"

She nodded and looked up; her chocolate eyes misted with tears. "And had you and I not had this little detour, it would have been a safe assumption."

He recoiled, dropping her hands and stepping back. "So, what, I'm just a distraction for you until you get back to Weasley?"

"I didn't say that," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "I just said, had we not been stuck here, I wouldn't have even thought of you in a romantic way." She shook her head. "And don't you dare try to tell me you would have thought of me twice had I been able to steer a broom properly."

He deflated a little at that. Attraction to her or not over the years, had he not been forced to spend time and get to know her in this capacity, they would have taken their mutual attraction to the grave. He sighed and then smirked. "You know, you really ought to learn how to fly a broom. All of this could have been avoided had you been a proper witch."

Her jaw dropped and she stared, debating on whether to laugh or be furious with him. He decided to use her moment of indecision to cross the distance between them and close his lips over hers. She smacked his chest when her hands rose up, but instead of pushing him away, she fisted his shirt and pulled him closer. Her lips parted when he looped an arm around her waist and let the other sink up into her hair, giving the slightest of tugs. Their tongues clashed together in unison as she surrendered herself to him.

He hadn't been aware that they were moving until he felt his back colliding into one of the large stacks behind him. A few things toppled around them and in order to shield her from getting hurt, he spun them so she was the one in the middle of him and the stack. When the debris had stopped, Draco let his lips trail away from hers, gliding along her jaw to the spot just below her ear. She keened against him and her head tipped back and when his teeth nipped at the column of her throat, she shivered and moaned.

He kept his hands firmly on her waist and paused until she arched her neck for more. He obliged and then pulled at her sleeve to expose more of her skin, kissing every inch of her that was available to him. Over her shirt, he kissed his way down. She whimpered when he got to the valley between her breasts and her body twisted as if she was trying to get away. He pulled back and found that her eyes were squeezed shut and she looked as though she were in pain.

"What is it, Granger?"

She relaxed when she noticed he had moved. He saw panic in her eyes and his thumbs stroked the small swatch of skin where the hemline of her jumper had risen. "It's nothing."

"One minute you're enjoying yourself and the next you're-" He stopped short and his gaze dropped to her chest. He realized it wasn't pain he'd seen in her eyes; it was fear. Fear of discovery; something akin to how he felt about his forearm.

"It's awful," she breathed, looking down as if ashamed.

He reached up and grasped her chin in his hand, tilting her face upwards once more. "Is it worse than the Dark Mark?"

She swallowed hard and shook her head as best she could in his hold. "No, but that doesn't make it any better. It's…I can't even stand to look at myself sometimes." Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"And you think I can stand mine?" he asked her. She blinked at him in disbelief. "And yet, somehow you're able to look past all of that."

He let his hands drop to his side and looked down at the space between them. "You're right," she whispered and he looked up when he noticed her grasp the hem of her jumper.

"You don't have to show me," he said, placing his hands gently over hers.

"I want to," she said softly. "I trust you." He brought his hands away from her and watched as she slowly pulled her jumper up over her head and let it drop to the floor between them.

Her skin prickled with gooseflesh from being exposed. She wasn't wearing a bra and her nipples hardened into taut peaks before his eyes, but they weren't what drew his attention. His jaw clenched as he took in the intricate web of purple and navy scars. There was a knot in the center of her chest, just below her breasts where whatever curse she'd been struck with had landed. The scars stemmed from there and marred the majority of her ribs. There were a few that had traveled upwards towards her sternum, but the concentration was heavily under her bust, between them, and off to the sides of her ribs.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice tight.

She swallowed hard. "The Department of Mysteries two years ago."

His gaze snapped up to hers as his eyes went wide. He took a half step back in terror. "Did… Did my _father_-"

She shook her head violently. "Dolohov," she replied and his shoulders sagged in relief. "Neville had stumbled and knocked into me, otherwise it would have been a direct hit to my heart. The healers said if it had, I would have died."

"What curse was it?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "We don't know. Harry had silenced him moments before so he never said it out loud. The healers said they hadn't seen anything like it. They were able to keep it from spreading, but beyond that, they don't know what kind of damage it did in the long run." She took a deep breath. "It knocked me out, so I didn't get to see most of what happened during the rest of the skirmish and I spent the majority of my summer in St. Mungo's."

He turned away from her and raked a hand through his hair. When he turned back around, she had her arms wrapped around herself and her cheeks were flushed.

"I know, it's hard to look at."

"It's not that," he said as he moved forward and cupped her face between his hands before kissing her soundly. "You're fucking beautiful, Hermione."

He let go of her face and slowly pulled her arms away from her chest. She resisted at first, but eventually caved. When she was bare to him again, he leaned in to retrace his steps from earlier. She stiffened as his lips found her collar bone and then began to travel down again. He took his time in kissing every inch of her scars. Eventually, she began to relax and when she did, he brought his hands up to cup her breasts. She whimpered as his thumbs ran over her nipples. He looked up to ask consent as his lips moved towards one of her taut peaks and she arched into his touch. His lips closed around her puckered skin and she moaned loudly.

His tongue swirled around the peak, tasting her skin. He heard himself groan as his own arousal presented itself. His trousers became uncomfortably tight and he counted himself extremely lucky to have gotten her to trust him thus far; he certainly wasn't going to push it. But he didn't want to stop either.

He pulled his mouth from her breast, an audible pop sounding through the room as he let go. He smiled against her skin as he kissed his way back up her chest, her throat, jaw, and then finally reclaimed her lips. He broke the kiss when he needed air and rested his forehead against hers, his hands on her hips.

"If you want me to stop, you have to tell me," he stated.

She nodded and he felt her trembling. He knew they had definitely crossed a line they really couldn't come back from. "I don't know what I want." Even her voice trembled; half of which he was sure stemmed from desire.

He let his hands slide down her hips, gently running along the outside of her thighs. "I want to touch you," he admitted, reveling in the way she shivered.

"I'm not…s-sure" she stammered and then swallowed hard in frustration.

"Have you ever gotten yourself off, Granger?" he asked, his voice dark with lust. He didn't even need to touch her himself. At this point he just wanted to watch her; hear her moan with pleasure as she came undone.

She nodded, her forehead rubbing against his.

"Show me."

He had meant to phrase it as a question; see if it was something she was willing to do if she wasn't quite ready for him to touch her. He hadn't meant for it to come out as a demand. He sure as hell wasn't expecting her to slide her hand between them and slip beneath the waistband of her skirt.

As her back arched off the stack, she moaned something fierce and Draco forgot how to breathe. She bit her lip and tossed her head back and he groaned right along with her as he heard how slick she was already. When her body bowed again, she started to slip. He slid his arm behind her back to anchor her and she turned her face towards him. He lowered his to kiss her and she moaned into his mouth.

"Together," she breathed.

He placed his forehead against hers again and reached up to undo the belt and fly of his trousers. He didn't expose himself, but he mimicked her by reaching into his boxers to take hold of his cock. He groaned as he began to stroke himself. Her moans were already getting louder and she had picked up the pace of her movements.

She grasped at the back of his shirt and shifted her hips. The move must have given her a better angle because her breath hitched. "Draco, I'm almost there," she panted.

The use of his given name nearly had him coming right then and there. As it was, his own movements began to sputter and he could feel the tension coming to a head.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming," she whispered frantically.

"Fuck, Granger, I'm-"

He grunted as he began to lose control and she cried out hard as her body jerked off the stacks. His release was hot and thick as it spurted through his fingers, soaking the material of his boxers. He had created quite the mess and judging from the sounds he heard from her, she was sure to have the same issue.

They both sagged against the stack of junk as they panted for air. Slowly, she brought her hand out from her skirt and he nearly came again at the amount of slick that coated her fingers. She freed her other hand from behind him and summoned her wand to clean them both up.

After they had had enough time to come down to reality, Draco turned to her to say something, but noticed that her gaze had slid past him and her eyes had gone wide. She tapped his shoulder and gestured for him to look.

The door.

They raced forward, stopping right before it. They exchanged a look before he reached out and wrapped his fingers around the handle tentatively. After a moment of his heart hammering away in his chest, he turned the knob.

Nothing.

He tried again and again before letting her try a few times. When it was clear that it wouldn't open, she dove for her bag and dropped to the floor beside it. She scribbled down more notes than he ever would have imagined one could write and then stopped. She sat there for a moment, lost in thought as she stared at the door.

"At least we know we didn't imagine the damn thing," Draco said.

She smiled and looked up at him. "True. I think we should stay here tonight and keep trying it throughout the night. Maybe it does have to do something with the time." Her eyes widened again. "Speaking of time," she said, scrambling to her feet. "I have to meet Riddle soon."

He watched her as she crammed her notes back into her bag and waited for her to realize she was missing something. When it was clear that she didn't, he bent down for her shirt and held it out for her. "While I'm glad you're comfortable as you are, I think maybe you might want to not flaunt yourself about the castle. Not that I would mind."

She blushed furiously and grabbed for the shirt. He pulled his hand out of reach and raised a brow at her in challenge. "Malfoy-"

He tugged her to him and crushed his lips to hers. She instantly relaxed into him. He dropped the shirt again and pulled his head up so that he could look at her. Her breath hitched and he barely resisted the urge to smirk. She blushed again, but made no move to cover herself. To his relief, she stood on her tip toes and brushed her lips over his again. "Thank you," she breathed against his lips.

"For what?" he asked, a smirk on his lips. "I didn't do anything."

She smirked alongside another blush. "Maybe next time-"

"Yeah?" he interrupted, his cock hardening again at the prospect.

She hummed and gave a nod. Slowly, she pulled herself away from him and bent down for her shirt. He frowned as she put it back on and went to grab her things. She kissed him again and smiled. "I'll be back in a bit," she promised and disappeared towards the entrance, leaving him in a stupor of disbelief and excitement.


	25. Chapter 25

**TWENTY-FIVE**

_**Tuesday, 30 September 1944**_

The Astronomy Tower was close to the Room of Requirement, so Hermione took a small detour to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. Pressed against the cold stone wall in front of a window, she bit down on her bottom lip, surprised at the smile that refused to leave. She hadn't intended for any of that to happen while they waited for the door to make an appearance.

Since she had wrapped her head around something like this happening with Malfoy, she had wondered what she would feel after the first encounter. She had imagined that she might feel awkward and insecure.

Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to feel so powerful.

Especially considering the nature of their encounter. She had only sought self-pleasure a handful of times before. The majority of them were in her bed in the Gryffindor Tower where she had been able to cast all sorts of charms to keep others from knowing about it. Even afterwards, she had always kept her eyes down the next day, feeling as though people would _know_ simply by looking at her.

Not only had someone seen her, but that someone was _Malfoy_ of all people. And instead of feeling shame, she felt powerful. Instead of thinking it was something she shouldn't be doing, she was wondering what it would be like to have him be the one to touch her. Wondered what it would be like to have his fingers buried in her core or hers around his-

She shook the thought away as she felt herself flush and shudder. She had to meet Riddle in a few minutes and she did not want to meet him with _this_ fresh in her mind. This wasn't something she wanted to share with him. Even as she made that resolution, she was already placing the memory into a book and shelving it; something that only she would get to look back on.

Before she pushed herself away from the wall, her hand stole up her jumper to touch at the scars on her chest. For the first time since receiving them, she smiled.

_"You're fucking beautiful, Hermione."_

Malfoy had given her a new memory; one that she would cling to no matter what happened in the future. The ghost of his lips and fingers over them brought tears to her eyes. She wondered if Ron would have made her feel this way about herself.

With a heavy sigh, she sought the Astronomy Tower.

Since they had just met on Tuesday and they only needed to note the New Moon tonight, Hermione expected their time on the tower to be brief tonight. She was right on time when she stepped off the last stair to the observation deck and set about getting her notes from her bag as fast as she could. She didn't even wait for Riddle as she approached the telescope and began making her notes and adding to her charts.

It was that familiar prickle at the back of her mind that made her stand up straight and cause her magic to falter on her materials, sending them to the ground softly. She whirled around to find Riddle directly behind her, her arm brushing his chest as she turned. She slammed the door Malfoy had helped her create and crossed her arms over her chest.

"A simple hello would have sufficed," she snapped.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity as he peered down his nose at her. His eyes were dark; nearly black.

She felt the fear creep up her back, but she forced it away. Even as he stepped forward, forcing the eye piece of the telescope into her back.

"Do not make me ask again," he threatened.

She swallowed hard and held his gaze. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Why are you here? Did Dumbledore send you?" Something flashed in his eyes and his chin lifted ever so slightly.

She shook her head. "No one sent me," she assured him. "My coming here was an accident."

His lips pressed together tightly; his eyes shimmering with disbelief. He stepped up to her again and she whimpered in pain as the telescope jabbed at her tailbone. His hand rose and caught her jaw in a vice-like grip while his body pressed against hers, keeping her trapped uncomfortably.

"You have been afraid of me since the moment I told you my name. You know of my Horcruxes. You even had one of them in your possession; one that I have not even thought to make yet." His eyes narrowed. "You will forgive me if I do not believe you."

She trembled as her mind flashed back to Bellatrix torturing her for information. Her throat went dry as the phantom pain of the Cruciatus Curse wracked through her body. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to block everything out. "It's the truth," she whispered, her tone begging for him to believe her.

She conjured up the memory of the Fiendfyre and projected it towards him. When the door closed on her and Malfoy, he released his hold on her and stepped back. She stumbled away from the telescope and sagged against the railing of the balcony. When she was able to lock her knees to keep herself standing, she wished that he would lash out with his magic instead of staring at her with that unreadable expression as he approached her.

The weight of his gaze was heavy and it made her tremble with anticipation. "You are a terrible liar," he said, his voice cold as ice.

"You are Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom Riddle was your father and Merope Gaunt was your mother. Marvolo was your grandfather. It was his family ring you turned into your second Horcrux when you killed your father. This happened a few months ago, shortly after you released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets and created the Diary with the death of Myrtle Warren."

His eyes darkened even further and he stood impossibly still. She could feel the cold anger radiating out of him, seeping into her skin from their proximity. She wasn't surprised when his hand grasped her throat and pulled her close. It happened so fast that she didn't have time to react. Instead, she trembled even more as his breath warmed her ear.

"How could you possibly know any of that?" he snarled. "Who am I to you?"

She gasped for air as his fingers tightened around her throat. Her hand rose with intent to claw at him to get him to let her go, but instead, her hand just simply rested on top of his. "Lord Voldemort," she rasped.

His fingers loosened enough so she could gulp air back into her deprived lungs. He moved back slightly, staying so close she could almost feel his nose brush against hers. "Something tells me you were not a devout follower of mine." He relaxed his hold on her even further and let his fingers stroke the column of her throat, making her shiver. "Tell me, Miss Granger, did you share these tidbits of information with Dumbledore?"

She shook her head rapidly. "N-no," she swallowed hard. "We just want to go home."

The smile that curved his lips made her heart sink like a stone to the pit of her stomach. Slowly, his hand slid back until it fisted her hair, pulling tight as his eyes bore into hers. "You know far too much for me to allow that to happen."

Something snapped inside of her. Anger rose to the surface, overriding her fear. Her eyes narrowed at him as she spoke. "It's too late, Riddle. Most of them have already been destroyed. Right now, you're probably dead too."

In the split second it took for his rage to come unhinged, shocked gasps from behind them made him release his hold and step back. Two younger students in Hufflepuff robes looked between them for a moment before dropping their gaze.

"I believe it is after curfew, is it not?" Riddle asked them, straightening his clothes as he turned towards them.

Hermione gathered her things and bolted for the exit, not sticking around to see what happened next. Too afraid to let Malfoy see her in this state, she continued on until she reached the dungeons. She ignored the stares from those in the common room and the ones from her roommates as she slipped behind the safety of her wards and let her emotions spiral out of control.

* * *

It was well after ten when Draco left the Room of Requirement. At first, he went to the Astronomy Tower, but found that he couldn't cross the threshold. He could only stand outside the entrance and glare up at it. After a sigh of disgust with himself, he made his way back to the dungeons. It was while he was waiting on the second floor landing for the stairs to realign that he heard a noise from the corridor.

It sounded like crying and instinctually, he moved towards it. The closer he got, the more relieved he became. At least it wasn't Granger's cries, but they were still familiar all the same. He paused as recognition hit him. It was Myrtle. The last time he had been in that bathroom or seen the moaning ghost had been the day Potter nearly killed him.

In Sixth Year he had tolerated Myrtle simply because her bathroom was the only place he could go to be by himself. Other than the Room of Requirement; a place he only went to when working on the cabinet. He would visit Myrtle some other time; he had to find out where Granger hand run off to and make sure something hadn't happened on the Astronomy Tower.

Avery and Lestrange were one of the few still awake in the common room. They were at the tail end of a chess game, but they acknowledged him when Draco entered the room. "Either of you see Granger or Riddle come back?"

"Granger's in her room," Avery replied as he directed his next piece. "Ah, checkmate."

Lestrange sagged back in his chair and sighed.

"When did she come back?" he asked them.

"Not that long ago," Lestrange answered. "No Riddle though."

"Thanks," he said, walking to the split in the corridor for the dorms. With his mind already made up, he began casting the necessary spells to get past the opposite-sex charms meant to keep him out of the girls' dorms. He got to the Prefect's door and knocked. Nothing happened right away, so he knocked again, this time louder.

Gertrude opened the door and her sleepy daze transformed into surprise in the blink of an eye. "D-Draco?"

"Is Her- Harmony in there?" he asked.

"I think so," she said, glancing over to Granger's bed. "Hard to tell with all those privacy wards."

"May I come in?"

She eyed him wearily and he watched her fingers drum against the door frame.

"Please?" he asked, letting concern show in his voice.

She sighed and stepped back, gesturing him in with a wave of her hand. "Don't stay long. We all have class in the morning."

He nodded and stepped up to the wards. It was harder to get through them, but he kept pushing until they let him pass. She was lying on the bed, curled up in a ball, her back facing him. He studied her for a moment and then approached slowly. As he stopped at the side of her bed, he was undecided if she was still awake or not, but either way, he knew he couldn't leave.

Slowly, he removed his shoes and his belt before slipping onto the bed over the covers with her. He curled his body around hers and slung an arm around her middle, hugging her closer to him. She had been trembling, but it lessened considerably from his touch. "Sorry I didn't come back," she whispered, her voice tight.

He frowned at the fact that she had been crying. "Is this about what we did?" he asked.

She shook her head and placed her hand over his.

He tried his best not to scare her with his anger. "Did something happen with Riddle?"

She nodded, but instead of saying anything right away, she turned in his arms so that she could bury her head on his chest. His chin rested on top of her head and he wrapped both arms tightly around her. As tempted as he was to head back to his room and give Riddle a healthy dose of Unforgiveables, he wasn't about to leave Granger in this state.

"He just got in my head again and he got angry at what he saw," she said.

"What did he see?"

She sighed and he was at least relieved that she was no longer crying. "I'm not sure, exactly," she said.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

Her voice was barely audible and he had to force himself not to react in a way that told her he suspected her of lying. Instead, he frowned heavily at the single pulled curtain around the bed. "What were you thinking about?"

"The war. Time on the run. Us. How we ended up here."

His arms tightened around her.

"Will you stay here tonight?"

He snorted and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Of course," he answered. He had never had any intentions of leaving and he would like to see her roommates try and get past Granger's wards to kick him out. She hummed approval at his promise to stay and she slipped into slumber a few heartbeats later. It wasn't long before he followed, enjoying the way she felt wrapped around him.


	26. Chapter 26

**TWENTY-SIX**

_**Saturday, 4 October 1944**_

Hermione felt bad lying to Malfoy about her violent encounters with Riddle. Especially now that there had been multiples and she was sure it would happen again. Until he had all the information he could get from her, he wouldn't stop.

Wednesday morning she had slipped out of bed before Malfoy woke and hurried to the bathroom to charm and conceal any evidence of the previous night. When she had returned, she could feel the bruising along her windpipe; the only comfort was that no one could see it. And to keep the incident from her mind, she had booked it in her mind and shelved it somewhere deep.

If he suspected anything, he didn't mention it and they resumed their newfound closeness with one another.

That morning she had gone to the Great Hall with her roommates so that Malfoy could return to his dorm and get ready for the day. He joined them later where they fell into a discussion about their upcoming Hogsmeade trip, the first Quidditch match the following weekend, and the school sanctioned Halloween Bash.

All of which were reminders that it was now October and they had been in this timeline for a month.

Each class they had, with the exception of Transfiguration, Riddle seemed to find ways to be near them. Constantly reminding her that he was always watching. It was a relief on Thursday when Malfoy skipped class and stayed at her side when Riddle showed up for their study session. It hadn't lasted very long, though he had surprised them both by inviting Malfoy along with him and the others in Hogsmeade.

Both of them noticed the jealous flash in his dark grey eyes when Malfoy agreed, but would meet up after their date; driving the reminder of their relationship home by tucking her hair behind her ear and then lacing their fingers together atop to the table.

He had left shortly after that.

Hermione had debated on going to Astronomy, but decided to just get it over with. He was a little tense with her in the beginning, but by the end of class, it was easy to forget that those encounters had been real and weren't just a figment of her imagination.

Friday was a blur as well and while she knew they had been looking forward to more uninterrupted time in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had fallen asleep on his shoulder in the middle of conversation with their housemates after dinner. He had carried her to bed and presumably gone back to his own room as he wasn't there when she woke up on Saturday morning.

She had taken her shower and dressed in the outfit she had come to this time in. It was clean now and she was tired of wearing skirts. She stood in front of the mirror in the shared space of the room and wished that she had something other than her school uniforms and this outfit. This was her first proper date with her first real-

Her eyes went wide at the interrupted train of thought. Was it okay to call Malfoy her boyfriend? Had they really gotten to that stage? She supposed it was the natural order of things, but…

"A-are you really wearing that?" Kalista asked as she entered from the bathroom.

"I don't really have much else," she answered, the disappointment strong in her voice.

Her roommate smiled softly at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Obviously the two of you have progressed pretty far, but there's a difference in holding hands around the castle and going on a real date." She studied Hermione with a tilt of her head. "Will you come back here with us after breakfast? Let us doll you up a bit?"

She had always shied away from these activities in her own time. Her own dormmates had stopped asking her early on in First Year if they could help with her hair. She had enough time taming it with her own magic, she didn't want to give them more reason to make fun of her.

"You didn't have many girl friends back home, did you?"

Hermione's eyes went wide as she refocused on Kalista. She shook her head. "Not really, no. I spent a lot of my time in the library," she replied, cheeks turning beat red.

Kalista smirked. "You in a library? No!" she exclaimed and then laughed at her own sarcasm. The way she said it wasn't meant to be rude and Hermione found herself smiling.

"Okay, I'll eat breakfast in this and then the three of you can do what you like. Fair warning, not even I can manage my hair."

Kalista grinned from ear-to-ear. "Wait until you see what Gertrude can do. She's quite good at hair charms," she promised and pulled Hermione from the room.

* * *

Malfoy had seated himself with Riddle and the others since she was late to breakfast. They had exchanged a quick nod before she took her place with her roommates further down the table. When breakfast was over, she sent them ahead to plan and then waited for Malfoy. She told him that her roommates had something in store for her and that she would meet him at Madam Puddifoot's a little later than they originally planned. That he should get a table and wait for her.

His eyes weren't the only ones to follow her as she took her leave of the Great Hall.

By the time her roommates had picked an outfit, helped her style her hair, and do her makeup, the main group had left for Hogsmeade half an hour ago. Which meant Malfoy truly wouldn't see her until she stepped foot inside the tea shop; which was the whole point of this operation.

Hermione had taken a full five minutes in front of the mirror wondering who the girl staring back at her really was. The month away from being on the run and the heat of battle had done wonders for her figure. She had put on weight; leaving her healthy looking instead of gaunt and malnourished. Her skin was no longer ashen, but contained a healthy glow. It was the same for her eyes and her hair, despite the charms on her otherwise unruly curls.

They had managed to twist most of her hair into a soft crown, pulling it away from her face and back into a messy, but stylized bun. There were still plenty of tendrils that escaped and instead of putting them back in place, she asked to let them stay. For her makeup, they had added just a hint of a soft brown to the crease of her lid to make her eyes pop even more along with mascara. To her cheeks they added the faintest amount of a rosy blush and just a touch of deep pink to her lips. It gave them a pouty look instead of appearing as though she were wearing lipstick.

And the charm to keep anything from smearing and her lips to remain soft was a nice addition.

Then there was the dress itself. The fashion was definitely different than what she was used to, but it was comfortable. And the shape it gave her was impressive. She hadn't really been one for girly attire, but in this, it was really hard to ignore the desire to twirl around. The dress had long sleeves that flowed, but were tapered at the wrist. The neckline was high, but low enough to not feel that it was choking her; she wouldn't have been comfortable exposing too much anyway. The waist was cinched with a little belt made of the same material and then stopped below her knees in a skirt fuller than she was used to, but surprisingly not heavy. The color was a deeper mustard color that had a pattern of navy swirls throughout; the pattern was barely there at the top, but it thickened as the eye traveled down to the bottom of the skirts.

When everyone had stated their approvals, they left the castle.

It was ridiculous, the sheer amount of butterflies in her stomach as Hogsmeade grew closer with each step. She had seen Malfoy every day, nearly all day for the past month. They had snogged several times, fallen asleep together twice, and even got off in front of the other once. Yet, as the girls bid her goodbye in front of the tea shop, Hermione felt as though she were about to meet Malfoy for the first time.

Summoning her Gryffindor bravery, she took a deep breath and let herself in to the tea shop.

* * *

Draco had been nervous too many times to count in his life. However, nearly all of those times had been because he knew something bad was coming. This was the first time he could recall that at the end of his nerves would be Granger sitting across from him. Even with all that had transpired between them, he was still surprised that she had said yes. They could remain stuck in the past for the rest of their lives, go on a thousand dates, and he would always be surprised if willingly said yes.

He was staring at the menu for the tenth time since he sat down and still hadn't read a single word when he felt it. Her presence would always make the hair on the back of neck stand at attention. Since the day they had met when they were eleven years old. Only now, it wasn't annoyance and false hatred that did it; it was something else. Something that made his heart race and his mouth run dry.

And when he lifted his head to see her walk into the tea shop, his heart stopped all together.

He stood up to greet her, his eyes sweeping up and down her in both awe and lust. She must have felt the intensity of his gaze because she blushed furiously. When she crossed the room to him, he drew her in and politely brushed his lips over hers. He wanted to deepen it, but if he didn't put a table between them, he was going to devour her right then and there.

Oh how things had changed.

They sat and they ordered; he memorized the amount of milk she put in her tea and that she sweetened it with honey instead of sugar. "So…" she started, her teaspoon clinking softly against her cup as she stirred in her additives.

"You look…" he started, licking his lips after having sipped his tea, but enjoying the effect of the double entendre regardless. "Amazing."

She looked down at her dress, mostly to hide another blush, and plucked at her skirt. "Thank you. You always look good."

"Is that so?" he asked, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes and sipped at her tea as well. "Are we going to the Quidditch match next weekend?"

"We don't have to. The castle will be rather empty I imagine."

She placed her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her palm. "It always is during the games, but I think it would be nice to focus on something trivial for a moment. And I know you like the sport."

He quirked a brow. "Are you calling my interests trivial, Granger?"

Her eyes went wide and she made a little noise that made him hard as a rock. "Oh, no. I didn't mean-"

He laughed and waved his hand dismissively at her. "We can go. I would hate to miss you cheer for Slytherin even if I'm not on the team." He stopped himself from adding that he would have loved to see Potter and Weasley's face.

"Bad news for you then," she said, returning his grin in equal measure. "The first game is Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I might even take inspiration from Luna and wear a roaring lion head." He frowned at the way her eyes glistened with mischief. "Perhaps if we're a couple now, I should make you wear one with me."

"In that case, we are definitely not a couple."

He had meant it as a joke, but he saw the way she deflated a little and tried to cover it up by taking a rather large sip of tea.

"Granger?"

She set her cup down and licked her lips. His eyes tracked the movement and his cock twitched as he imagined the pink muscle circling the tip.

"Malfoy?" she returned.

"If you promise I don't have to ever be caught dead in one of those ridiculous getups, I'll let you slap whatever label on us that you want."

She smirked and traced the rim of her teacup with the tip of her finger. "Is that your only condition?"

He couldn't think of anything worse, so he nodded.

She beamed brightly and he got the distinct impression he had made a mistake. Something that was confirmed when she spoke again.

"Then as a couple, I think we should plan our outfits for Halloween."

He groaned and she laughed, the sound like music to his ears. "You sure you're not cut out for Slytherin? That was quite cunning."

She ordered them another round and flashed him a dazzling smile. "I learn from the best."

He harrumphed around the rim of his cup as he finished his first tea before the second arrived. "I'm surprised you want to attend."

Her head tilted to the side as she studied him. "I'm surprised you don't. Halloween was never really my favorite. I really only like it at Hogwarts." She blushed and looked down. "I guess it was the magic and enchantments in the Great Hall. For Muggles it's all about scary things. I just like the magic and wonder."

"I was always more interested in Christmas myself," he admitted. "Not much tops Halloween at Hogwarts; I'll give you that. You should see what my mother does to the Manor at-"

He stopped and cleared his throat. He wished he could retract his words at the way she had stilled across the table. Slowly, she looked up to meet his gaze and gave him a barely there smile. "It's your home, Draco. You're allowed to talk about the happy times without worrying how I'll react. I'm sure your mother pulls out all the stops for the holidays."

She was right; Narcissa Malfoy held nothing back for the holidays. It was only the most recent years when all holiday spirit had been zapped from his family. With the Dark Lord living there, there was no reason to celebrate a damn thing. As it was, the only parties that were held at the Manor upon _his _arrival were Revels.

He shuddered and thanked his lucky stars that the Snatchers hadn't brought the Golden Trio to the Manor in the midst of one.

"Draco?"

He shook himself from his thoughts and focused on Granger across from him. Her right arm had reached out and her hand had closed over his, her thumb stroking his gently. He got his breathing under control and adjusted their hands so he could thread their fingers together.

"First name basis now?" he teased, desperate the change the subject.

"Don't get too used to it," she returned, giving his hand a light squeeze before letting go to accept her second cup of tea.

Conversation was easy after that. He found himself more curious about her Muggle side and she was eager to share it with him. He shared what he dared with her about his early life, keeping the topics light and stories short. By the time they took their leave, he felt delighted to see another side of her. He had even developed a stronger sense of respect for her.

Instead of going towards the main road to split off with their friends, Granger surprised him by leading him to the alley between the buildings. She wasted no time in pinning him between herself and the exterior wall of a shop before cradling his head in her hands and bringing it down to her level. He could taste the honey and milk from her tea on her tongue as it slipped over his in earnest.

And when she moaned and pressed herself against him, he knew that even if they went forward in time right now, he would never be able to forget their time here.

* * *

Hermione let one of her hands slide back into Malfoy's hair, her fingers tugging slightly until she found the spot she liked to rest her hand. He nipped at her lip in the process and pulled her closer when his hands slid up and down her sides. She gasped into his mouth as he flipped their position and lifting her up. When her back hit the wall, her feet were no longer on the ground. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his hips and they both groaned as his arousal hit her core.

He pulled his lips from hers and slid them along her jaw until he got to the spot beneath her ear. She keened against him as he teased the spot; a massive shiver taking hold of her spine, gooseflesh prickling her skin. She angled her neck to give him better access, wincing slightly as he nipped his way down the column of her throat. While the bruises never showed, the pain from Riddle's fingers still lingered beneath the surface.

"Draco…"

He cursed against the crook of her neck and her eyes fluttered open. Her breath hitched as her gaze fell upon Riddle. He was watching them from the main road. Even from the distance between them, she could see his eyes darkening with jealousy and lust. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying to focus on Malfoy.

But it was hard to get Riddle out of her mind as his presence slipped into hers. She concentrated on the way Malfoy was making her feel and projected that back to him. She wasn't sure what drove her to do that, but it worked, he disappeared from her mind a moment later and when she opened her eyes again, he was gone.

Not a moment later, Malfoy pulled his head back and she looked down at him with a dazed expression. Slowly, she lowered her lips back down to his and he helped ease her legs back down to the ground. "You should go find your roommates."

"I still have some time to kill before we're supposed to meet. Want to come with me to the bookstore?"

He leaned in and brushed another kiss across her lips and then stepped back. "In a minute."

She blushed again and nodded. "Right, sorry," she said, trying her best to look away so as not to stare directly at his lap.

When he was ready, he laced her fingers with his, kissed her again, and then led her back to the main road. As they walked towards the bookstore, she let herself enjoy the feel of his hand in hers. Even as her thoughts turned to more what-ifs, she tried to block them out. She was determined to enjoy whatever time they had together because they both knew this might not last forever.


	27. Chapter 27

**TWENTY-SEVEN**

_**Sunday, 5 October 1944**_

For as much as they both wanted to go back to the Room of Requirement upon their return to Hogwarts, by the time they actually did come back, they were both exhausted. After their time in the bookstore, Hermione had gone to meet her roommates to shop for their Halloween attire while Malfoy had gone to join Riddle and the others. The two groups had then met up and had drinks at the Three Broomsticks before going back to the castle for dinner. By the time they returned to the common room, Hermione was already yawning every few seconds.

When she woke the next morning, it was early, but she didn't mind. She dressed in a new casual dress, one that was a deep emerald green like her new house and tried out the charms her roommates had taught her for her hair. She successfully put it up in a braid and then made her way to the common room.

She had forgotten to write Malfoy and wait for his response, but if she had observed anything about Riddle over the course of the last month so far, it was that he wouldn't attempt anything in front of people. She was safe in the common room so long as there were witnesses. And as it was near breakfast time, she wasn't alone while she waited for Malfoy to wake up.

Riddle, however, was already up and joined by Lestrange and Mulciber. She had intended just to give them a nod to acknowledge their presence, but it seemed Riddle had other plans once he noticed her. "Ah, Miss Granger. Good morning."

"Morning," she replied to them.

"Draco should be joining us soon. He was starting to rise when I left."

She nodded, standing a little bit away from them awkwardly. She didn't want to join them, but it was clear that Riddle wasn't going to let her be either. "Thanks," she replied.

"Perhaps you can help settle a dispute between us?" Riddle asked as she debated turning away from them.

She eyed him wearily, but inclined her head slightly. "No promises," she said and stepped closer to them.

"Last night, we were discussing the fall of Troy," Lestrange explained. "And the part that none of us could agree on was Helen."

Hermione rolled her eyes despite herself. "What about Helen?"

"Some legends say Helen was abducted by Paris before she was married while others claim shortly after," Mulciber stated. "However, there are some accounts that suggest it was well after her marriage to Menelaus. That she had a daughter."

Hermione's blood turned cold as Lestrange and Mulciber turned to Riddle. When she moved her gaze towards him, his eyes were alight with amusement.

"I know she had a daughter, but her name escapes me," Riddle said, his head tilting to the side. "Is there any chance you would know the name, _Harmony_?"

She narrowed her eyes at Riddle slightly. Of course she knew the name; it was her own. Her father had picked it from mythology because he believed his own wife was the most beautiful woman; his Helen and he wanted his daughter to bear the name of the offspring from the tale.

"Hermione," she bit out.

"Ah, yes. _Hermione_," Riddle said, the sound of her name on his lips made her shiver.

It was then that Malfoy made his appearance. He was wide-eyed as he stepped up to Hermione's side, looking back and forth between her and Riddle. "What are we discussing?"

"Miss Granger settled the matter of Helen's daughter for us," Riddle informed him. "Lovely name, _Hermione_."

"Ah," Malfoy said, reaching up to cup her elbow. "Excuse us."

"I expect the two of you to sit with us this morning," Riddle said.

Hermione nodded as she let Malfoy pull her out of the common room and to the secret passage near Potions. "Does he know something?"

"He must have found my name when he was in my head," she replied. "He's never said 'Harmony' like he believed it anyway."

He nodded, accepting it and Hermione's stomach churned at the ease of which the lie rolled off her tongue. "We can go to the kitchen's for breakfast. Avoid Riddle."

She shook her head. "It's alright, if we indulge him now, we can avoid him later."

He studied her for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. "Enough about Riddle," he said, reaching to draw her closer. "Good morning."

She smiled and brought her hands up to cup his face. Their lips met and they sighed against one another. After a moment of tasting one another, they broke apart at the sound of their stomachs growling, followed by mutual laughter. "Morning," she replied.

"We should head down to breakfast," he said, even as he dropped his head to the crook of her neck, peppering her skin with kisses.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled, stepping back until she was pressed between him and the stone wall.

"Unless you have a better offer."

She shivered and her fingers momentarily clenched at his shirt. She swallowed despite her throat having gone dry and he took the momentary silence as hesitation. He kissed her cheek and pulled back from her.

"We can stay here a few minutes," she said as he started to walk away.

"I don't want to rush you, Granger."

"I know, but-"

He cut her off by brushing his lips over hers. "If you're really ready for that, we'll stay."

She blinked at him and worried at her bottom lip. He smiled and reached for her hand.

"Whenever you're ready," he promised and led her out of the passage.

They arrived in the Great Hall hand-in-hand. She sighed heavily as she took in the sight of Riddle and his gang. This time, she was surprised to see Nott back at the table with him. She could tell by the way Malfoy tensed beside her that he was surprised as well. He had been laid up in the infirmary for a week after Hermione punched him, but she highly doubted it was her punch that had laid him up. When he returned, he avoided all of them and the way Riddle stared at him made her think he had something to do with it. Whatever their feud, if he was back at the table, it was over now.

Slowly, they took their seats, Hermione directly across from Riddle and Malfoy to her right. Conversation started amongst the boys while Hermione mostly sat and listened. At first, it was light, mostly a continuation from the topics they had discussed at Hogsmeade. It was strange to hear these men discuss which girl they were going to ask to accompany them.

"Anyone you're planning on asking, Riddle?" Avery asked.

Riddle's gaze landed on Hermione and she shifted closer to Malfoy. He turned towards Avery and shrugged. "I do not see the need to tie myself down to any single being," he said, lifting his goblet.

"He doesn't have to ask anyone," Lestrange said with a grin. "Women are always fawning at his feet."

Riddle's lips twitched, but from what Harry had told her and what she had known, he wasn't interested in that kind of companionship. "So, there's no one in this place that catches your eye?" she heard herself ask.

His eyes flashed and Malfoy stiffened at her side.

"Because if there is, I could always help. I understand guys think that women are intimidating."

The group had fallen silent as they stared between her and Riddle with uncertain gazes. Riddle's head tipped forward and his eyes sparkled. "Are you saying that I might be afraid of women?"

"Yes."

He tapped his fingers on his goblet. "I am afraid of no one," he replied, eyes darkening in warning.

_You're afraid of Dumbledore,_ she thought, projecting it at him. When his jaw clenched, Hermione smirked. He had received her message.

"I have goals in the real world I look forward to accomplishing, Miss Granger. In order to do so requires an incredible amount of devotion. I do not have time or desire for distractions."

"And what goals are so large that you would choose to be so alone?"

She was prepared this time, as he slipped into her mind without pretense. She had already shut the door and locked it. He beat against her barrier, but he couldn't get past. Across from her, he was seething. Inside, he ceased his attempts. _Let me in_, he demanded.

_They say when a child is conceived under the false love of Amortentia, that sometimes the child grows up incapable of love. Is that what's happened to you?_

"My goals, Miss Granger, are somewhat political in nature. Something you have expressed time and time again that you had no desire to discuss," he said aloud and retreated from her mind.

"You're right, I have said that."

"What would you do then?" he asked. "If you had the power to change the world; what would you do?"

"Surely we don't need to discuss this now," Malfoy interrupted.

Hermione turned to face him and gave him a small smile before leaning in and brushing her lips over his. "It's fine."

His eyes were full of warning, but he looked down at his plate and reached for his goblet.

"I think Grindelwald has the right idea in the sense that Muggles should be made aware of our existence. What I don't agree on is that we are any better than they are. Just because we have access to magic does not give us superiority. I think there are plenty of Muggles out there who do wonderous things without any magic at all. In fact, Muggles make discoveries and advancements all the time. Most of the time they are far ahead of our own. Even their society is far more progressive in terms of gender and racial equality."

Riddle's shock was plain as day on his face. It was present on the rest of his group as well. The only person not staring at her was Malfoy. He was still staring at the table, but he was tense at her side.

"If I had the power to change the world, I would make sure it was harmonious. Purebloods, Halfbloods, Mudbloods, and Muggles. Even those that fall under the categories of Others, Beasts, and Beings; all would have their place."

"Traitorous words from those of pure lineage," Rosier said from Riddle's side.

"That's the problem with your lot," Hermione said, getting to her feet. "You assumed I was a Pureblood." She extended a hand to Malfoy and he took it without hesitation, eager to pull her away from them before it got even more out of hand. "Enjoy the rest of your day, gentlemen."

Malfoy was practically dragging her from the Great Hall. His long legs were carrying him at such a pace that she practically had to run to keep up with him. He pulled her into the first room they came across which, from the looks of it, hadn't been used in quite some time. He slammed the door and dropped his hold on her.

"What the fuck was that about?"

Now that she was away from Riddle, the reality sank in. She didn't know what it was about him that made her act so differently. His presence brought out a side of her that she had never experienced before and it was terrifying. "I don't know."

"You know exactly how he feels about you and you go and fucking taunt him? It's like the two of you didn't even know the rest of us existed. And don't even get me started on the fact that you just outed your blood status to him." He shook his head and then carded his hands through it. "I'm really starting to question how you got the label of brightest witch of our age."

"I didn't out anything!" she fired back at him. "I just said I wasn't Pureblood."

"I bet if you still had that carving on your arm you would have ripped up your sleeve and shown it to him!"

Hermione took a step back from him out of sheer surprise. "What are you really mad at, Malfoy?"

His hands clenched and unclenched rhythmically at his sides as he stared at her. "I'm fucking pissed that something keeps happening between the two of you and you keep telling me that it's fucking nothing. We both know that's a lie. We both agreed that we could trust each other; that we're our only allies here. And besides all of that, we've grown closer and- I don't know, I thought maybe respect was in order?"

He crossed the room and backed her into a corner.

"I thought- hoped- that the back and forth between us was our thing, but the more I watch you and Riddle, the more I believe my suspicions are correct. That when the Dark Lord spoke of you, his hatred wasn't just about your blood status. It was hatred like a lover scorned!"

Hermione hadn't even realized that she had slapped him until her palm began to sting. She hadn't heard it due to the anger causing her blood to rush past her ears. She clapped her hand over her mouth as he stepped back, staring at her in surprise. He brought a hand to his cheek and rubbed it lightly. A bright red welt was already rising on his otherwise porcelain skin.

Tears began to pour down her cheeks as trembles wracked her body. Neither of them spoke as he took his leave, slamming the door of the classroom behind him. Once he was gone, Hermione sank to the ground; a sobbing mess.

* * *

Draco paced rapidly in front of the Room of Requirement, yet the door never opened. The few times he had come here without Granger, he had asked for his childhood bedroom. While he hadn't exactly felt safe in his home over the last few years, it was at least a familiar comfort.

And as if he wasn't angry enough, the door never manifested, therefore pushing him over the edge.

Bitterly, he changed tactics and asked for Granger. He wanted to take a page from Umbridge's book and _Bombarda _the damn thing. He could have just turned and left. He was in no mood to deal with Granger after the morning's episode in the Great Hall and their fight afterwards. As it was, seeing her face when he closed his eyes had made him sick.

As twisted as it was, he opened the door and strode inside, intent on just having it out with her. However, after only a few paces, he came to a complete halt at the sound of voices. He closed his eyes and craned his neck, scowling when he recognized Granger and Riddle.

"Did you see his face?" Riddle asked.

Draco involuntarily stepped closer, making sure to stay well hidden. He wasn't sure what place the room had turned into, but he suspected it was something of Riddle's choosing.

"You know I didn't," Granger replied. "My eyes were on you."

A chill crept up his spine. Were they talking about him? He stepped closer again and peeked out from behind the corner. The sight that greeted him was almost as painful as the Cruciatus. There was a small bed atop a dais a few feet behind where they stood. They were so close that whenever they moved, they surely brushed against one another. Riddle was facing where Draco stood, his back to the bed. Granger's back was to Draco, but even he could tell she was relaxed about her proximity to the young Dark Lord.

Riddle reached up and placed his hand along her neck, his thumb stroking at her jaw. "He suspects us."

"He's naturally suspicious."

"It does not help that you walk a thin line, Hermione. He has already confronted me, trying to stake is claim on you more than once. I can only sideline him a few more times before I need to take drastic action."

Draco's stomach sank as her hands came to rest softly on his chest, palms flat as they slid up towards the collar of Riddle's shirt. She sighed and canted her head to the side. "He wants more from me," she said, her fingers beginning to undo the buttons. "And I do too," she started. "But not with him."

There was a hungry look on Riddle's face as he leaned in and kissed Granger. Draco wanted desperately to tear his gaze away from them and hightail it out of the room, but it was as if vines had sprung from the floor and rooted him to the spot. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away either. His eyes remained open and on them, even as they continued to undress each other and move back towards the bed. Anger coiled around him like a cloak as Riddle's body slid over hers. The sounds of Grangers moans filled the air, growing louder and louder with each burst of ecstasy.

And the moment she screamed out for Riddle from her release, his eyes finally snapped shut.

When they opened a moment later, he was sitting up on his bed in his dorm. A sheen of cold sweat soaked his skin and dampened his night clothes. His breathing was hard and shallow while his stomach twisted in knots. But the worst was the excruciating burning of his left forearm. It brought tears to his eyes and made him curl up and writhe on his bed, begging into the confines of his bed for it to stop.

It was so bad that he missed the pounding headache that signaled he had had a guest in his mind.

When the burning stopped and the sweat was just residual, Draco groped around for his wand and cleaned himself up. As his mind began to clear, the realization that it had only been a dream was only mildly comforting.

He had gone outside to the Black Lake after their fight. He had stayed there all day until dinner. He had eaten quickly in the Great Hall and left before she even arrived. Then he had gone to the dorms and stared at the canopy until he had fallen asleep.

He had not gone to the Room of Requirement.

He had not seen Riddle or Granger since breakfast.

Yet, it was still hard to shake the mental imagery of the two of them so intimately intertwined.

As he slipped back into slumber, he hoped it was dreamless.


	28. Chapter 28

**TWENTY-EIGHT**

_**Tuesday, 7 October 1944**_

Hermione hadn't been sure how much time had passed before she left the classroom. What she did know was that she went back to her dorm, half-assed her assignments for the week, and then went to bed without dinner. And when she woke up on Monday, she was so distraught with worry that she retched over the side of her bed more than once.

She had waited until her room was clear and her house mates had emptied the dungeons for breakfast. Once she was alone, she cleaned up, took a fast shower, and then went to the kitchens for some toast to hopefully settle her stomach.

Feeling a tad bit better, she made her way to Transfiguration. She was early enough that Dumbledore pulled her aside to ask if she was alright. She had assured him that it was nothing and then took her usual seat and wait for Malfoy.

When he entered the room, their eyes met for a brief moment. She felt heat fan over face at the searing heat of anger in his grey eyes. She walked to their desk and Hermione only watched in agony as he continued past her to take up one of the usually unoccupied desks in the back row.

And suddenly she wasn't feeling better at all.

Malfoy didn't sit next to her in Charms and avoided her and Riddle both at lunch. By the time Potions came around, Hermione had given up all hope that he would be willing to talk to her. Instead of waiting for him after class, she made her way to the dorms and studied until she sought the kitchens for a late dinner, then back to the dorm to sleep.

Tuesday morning, Hermione decided she wasn't going to wallow. Malfoy had every right to be mad at her and it hurt much more than she ever thought it would, but she internalized as much as she could and set about to pretend it didn't affect her at all.

She ate breakfast with her roommates and when Merrythought had them partner up in Defense, she hadn't even attempted to look for Malfoy. She knew exactly where he was during their practice lesson, but she refused to look his way; despite the fact that she felt eyes on her the entire time. She just wasn't sure if they were his or Riddle's.

She had gone straight to the library after Defense to set about her homework from the previous day. After a few minutes, it was clear that Malfoy wasn't going to show so she put all of her frustrations down in ink and by the time he should have started Ancient Runes, she was nearly done with her assignments for the week already.

As she was considering packing up and retreating back to her dorm until it was time for Astronomy after lunch, she felt her red leather book warm up. She stared at it for a moment, her breath hitching with hope. Tentatively, she reached for it and flipped it open.

_Hello._

She bit her bottom lip and reached for her quill. She dipped it into her ink and moved her hand over the page, but when it came to write back a response, she hesitated.

_Where are you?_ he wrote back after some time had passed.

She snorted out loud. _In the library. Where else would I be? Aren't you in class?_

She only mildly regretted getting snippy with him.

_Meet with me._

She scowled and chewed at the end of her quill. _Whatever you have to say to me can wait until you're out of class._

_I need to see you._

She wasn't quite sure what to make of that confession. As it was, she felt betrayed by her own body as her thighs pressed together. There was a certain flare of heat and a pooling in her knickers at the thought of him ditching class to meet her. It made no sense, she knew that, considering how angry he was at her.

_Please._

She took a deep breath to calm herself and then put her quill to paper before she could change her mind. _Only if you promise not to yell at me_. Her quill trembled. _If that's the case, I-_

_No yelling. I promise, _he wrote before she could even finish her sentence.

_Where?_

_The hidden passage across from the potion's classroom. Five minutes._

Hermione snapped the book closed and sat back in her chair. She tapped it a few times before wrenching it back open. She considered writing back and telling him no; demand that whatever it was he had to say could wait until later, but instead, she closed it again and began to pack her things. Her movements were slow, not entirely convinced that he wasn't doing this to just pick a fight. And yet, the closer she came to the corridor, the idea that he might be over his anger at her made her heart skip a beat.

She paced a few times in front of the passage, waiting until the last student had turned the corner, leaving her truly alone. When it was safe, she pushed at the entrance and crossed the threshold. Even though it was dark, she knew he was already there. Her mouth went dry and she wet her lips as she said, "Malfoy, I'm sor-"

She was cut off as he closed the distance between them and slid his mouth over hers. He pushed her back against the stone wall and placed one hand firmly on her hip, the other on her neck, his thumb pressing into her jaw to keep it lifted. There was a heat unlike anything she'd experienced before as he kissed her soundly. He swallowed every sound she made and used the parting of her lips to explore her mouth with his tongue.

They had kissed plenty of times by now, but as he was tasting her as if it were the first time all over again and it made her knees go weak. And despite the exploratory feel, there was a hint of anger in the way his lips tugged at hers mercilessly.

Her lips tore from his with a groan as his hips bucked against her, giving her an intimate feel of his arousal at her hip. His hand moved down from her throat to cup her breasts through her robes. Her head tipped to the side and his lips sought her skin immediately. The hand on her hip began to travel lower, slipping beneath her robes to skim the top of her skirt.

She sucked in a breath sharply at his action and closed her eyes at the sensation. Only a few days ago he had hinted at doing this very thing, but hadn't when she presented as unsure. She still wasn't sure, but it felt good and he wasn't asking. As if her body was rebelling, begging for her mind to shut up for once, her hips thrust forward, chasing after his fingers as they rested just above her core.

He responded by nipping lightly at her throat and let his hand dip beneath the waistband. His index finger slid against her core over her knickers and she cried out. His lips moved back up to hers, reminding her to be silent. They might be in a secret passage, but they could be easily found if someone passed by and heard them.

Stifling her cries to muffled whimpers against his lips, he rewarded her by pulling her knickers to the side and running his fingers through her slick folds. She grasped at his robes, keeping him flush against her. He increased the pressure of their kiss and she winced at both the sudden harshness and at the slight sting as his middle finger sank into her core.

It was surprising how foreign and pleasurable the action was, considering she had done this herself on more than one occasion. Had she known another's hand would have been a thousand times better than her own, she would have let him touch her when he asked to the night of the New Moon.

Without much time to process, he added another finger and Hermione bucked against him. He crooked his fingers and placed a thumb on her clit, working her into a frenzy in no time at all. Her head reared back, grinding against the stone. She tried to keep her moans of pleasure as quiet as possible, but he was relentless in his ministrations and already on the edge of breaking.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the onslaught continued. When she felt herself clutching at his fingers and a tight coil in her stomach and a tingle at the back of her mind, she cried out again for him. "Dr- Draco, _I'm-_"

As fast as he had pushed her towards the cliff, he had pulled her back from it by removing his hand. The moment she had said his name, he seemed to snap out of whatever spell he was under and pushed her away as if it burned him to touch her. In the darkness of the passage, she didn't realize he was leaving until light shone from the entrance, long enough for him to step out and seal it behind him.

Still on the edge of her release and more confused than ever, Hermione straightened her clothes with trembling hands and forced herself to get a grip on her emotions. When she was sure she could, she exited the passage and made a beeline for the dorms. Not bothering to look around, she went straight to her room, cleaned herself off, and collapsed into a heap onto her bed.

* * *

Hermione had skipped lunch and Astronomy; she would have skipped dinner too, but her stomach was growling something fierce. Instead of the Great Hall, she went to the kitchens and ate just enough so that she could sleep without waking to hunger in the middle of the night.

When she got back to the common room, Malfoy was at one of the tables with Riddle and his group. She watched him for a moment as he played chess with Rosier. Now that her body and mind had calmed down over what happened earlier, she was fuming. He had every right to be angry with her, sure, but he had no right to do…whatever the fuck it was he had done.

She straightened her spine, squared her shoulders, and marched up to him. "Draco, I need to speak to you," she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

He had the gall to not even bother to look up at her. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Now, Mal- Draco."

He looked at her then, narrowing his eyes and staring at her like he had for the first six years she had known him. Inwardly, she recoiled, but outwardly she stood her ground. He must have seen the fear in her eyes because he softened slightly. "Give me a minute."

She nodded and stepped away from them. She made sure she kept herself at his back so he couldn't see her gulping down breaths of air to calm herself or blinking back tears that threatened to surface. However, it wasn't easy to calm her anger; especially when he continued to sit there and play the fucking game. As if keeping her waiting was just more punishment.

Laughter threatened to bubble past her lips as she thought of all the times Harry and Ron and continued to play the same fucking game when she had something important to tell them. How they would just wave their hands at her to wait or tune her out altogether. Even on the run when she wanted to discuss a theory, they had dismissed her like it was nothing. Like she was nothing.

Just as she was about to call out his name; his real one, middle name and all, he smirked at Rosier after calling Checkmate and then vacated his seat to come to her. He slowed as he took in the sight of her pacing. He stopped when he was close enough that he could lower his voice and she could still hear him.

"Spit it out, Granger."

"Here?" she asked, looking around. Her face flushed.

"A good a place as any."

She did laugh this time, the sound coming out undignified. "Afraid you might finish what you started? Or have you gone back to your old ways and don't want to sully yourself with the likes of me?"

His eyes narrowed again, but this time, instead of anger, his gaze was full of concern. "What are you on about, Granger?"

Her lips parted with the intention of ripping him a new one since he seemed so hellbent on claiming ignorance, but her words died in her throat as she caught sight of Riddle watching them over Malfoy's shoulder. Her mouth went dry and her entire body threatened to collapse right then and there.

"Granger?"

She shifted her gaze back to him and wet her lips. "Y-you're book," she stammered. "The one I linked to mine. Where is it?"

"In my bag."

"I wrote to you," she whispered.

He gave a slight shake to his head. "I keep it on my desk in class. It never notified me."

"Did you have it out in Ancient Runes?"

"Yes," he replied, tilting his head at her. "It was out for the whole class, but I never felt it heat up."

She nodded, unable to speak as she had to clench her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. Her gaze slipped back to Riddle. Had she not been staring at him so intently, she would have missed the way one corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly and he tipped his chin down, eyes darkening. Anyone else might have missed it, but Hermione knew he was confirming her suspicions.

Her stomach rolled.

She shouldered past Malfoy on her way to the bathroom, not stopping when he called after her. She barely made it to the toilet in time to empty the meager contents of her stomach. When she was able to clean herself up, she hurried to her room and let the incident replay over and over in her mind, reminding her how stupid she had been to let her guard down around a bunch of snakes.


	29. Chapter 29

**TWENTY-NINE**

_**Thursday, 9 October 1944**_

Tuesday night, Draco had tossed and turned in his sleep. Something wasn't quite right with Granger and as mad as he was at her, seeing her like that made him rethink his anger. She was just as terrified of Riddle as he was and instead of approaching her like the victim she probably was, he had acted out of jealousy. There was no way Granger would ever look at Riddle _that_ way. Even if he was charming and appeared human now, he was still a monster; one that hated people like her.

If something was going on between them, it would be Riddle's doing. Granger would never willingly do anything with Riddle and it made Draco sick to his stomach when he remembered that he had thought that for a moment. That if something had happened, he had blamed her instead of being there to protect her.

The more he thought about it, the more like an asshole he felt. After waking up from the at dream in the wee hours of Monday morning, he had mulled it over and wondered more than once if Riddle hadn't fucked with him and placed that dream himself. One of the Dark Lord's favorite tactics was to instill fear and horror by hallucinations. He had no reason to believe that Riddle wasn't doing the same to her.

But then she had approached him Tuesday night with that tone of voice that always grated on his every nerve and he snapped. He had seen the fear in her eyes when he turned his gaze on her; the same one he used when he called her Mudblood and spat other demeaning comments her way. He had regretted it instantly, hadn't meant to use that look in the first place, but by then he was too ashamed to speak to her so he delayed.

When he finally did approach her, she was a right mess. He could see that. And he was more of an idiot for not leaving the common room to speak in private. She had been trembling in fear just speaking to him, but he had thought it was anger and didn't realize until it was too late.

And like always, he was too much of a coward to go after her.

Wednesday she seemed to avoid him in class as much as he had avoided her the previous days. It was Thursday after Defense that he watched her head in a direction that wasn't the library and decided to follow her. He watched as she approached the Headmaster's office and ascended the stairs after saying the password.

He waited for her, willing to skip Ancient Runes until he had talked to her. It wasn't long before she came back down and he swallowed hard at the fact that she seemed more distraught than when she had gone into the office.

"Granger?" he called after her when she took off again.

She halted and whirled around to stare at him. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"To talk. Something's bothering you and-"

She snorted and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. "The only thing currently bothering me is you."

His jaw clenched as they stared each other down. On instinct, he took a step forward to reach for her, only to stop when she flinched and stepped back.

"Just… Leave me alone, Malfoy," she whispered and then turned and ran.

He let her go as he formulated a plan to get her to talk to him. He knew he needed to apologize, but he couldn't help but think that it was too late for that. That he had completely messed up and pushed her too far away for an apology to do any good.

And it wasn't until Riddle approached him in their room before dinner that he realized it didn't matter how much he might have messed up. If Riddle had done something to her, she needed to talk to him before it got worse.

"Harmony has missed Astronomy both days this week. Has she said anything to you?" Riddle had asked.

Instead of exploding at Riddle, knowing it wouldn't do either of them any good, he played along. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not really on her good side right now."

Riddle smirked. "Everyone with eyes has noticed the two of you are on the outs. Please, spare me the details, Draco. I only want to know if I will have to do all the work for our project after all. I was hoping she would be different from the rest."

It had taken every ounce of his will power to not rise to the bait. Instead, he shrugged. "I guess you'll find out tomorrow night if she shows up," he said and went back to his own assignment.

* * *

_**Friday, 10 October 1944**_

Friday morning he decided he had had enough. That he needed to stop being a coward and she needed to talk to him. She wasn't at breakfast in the Great Hall so he started off by taking his usual seat by her side in Transfiguration. She stiffened, but didn't so much as look his way only to bolt out of the classroom the moment the bell rang.

So he did the same thing in Charms. This time his presence earned him a few glances during class. And then he steered her to the Great Hall and made her eat a real lunch. By the time they started Potions, she had relaxed a little around him. After dinner, she had agreed to come with him to the Room of Requirement.

Once inside the replica of the Gryffindor common room, they stood behind the couch staring; mostly at the ground, but occasionally at each other. He swallowed his pride and spoke first, unable to take the silence any longer.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be," she replied immediately, her gaze snapping up from the floor. She folded her arms over her chest and popped her hip condescendingly. He braced himself for a tirade, knowing her deserved it. "But you were right."

He balked at her words and shook his head. "Come again?"

Before he could even truly bask in the glow of being right, no matter what it was that he was right about, she lashed out, landing a hefty punch to his left shoulder. He hissed and stepped back from her. He would never stop being surprised that her tiny wrists could inflict so much damage.

"Not about all of it," she said. She was never going to repeat that sentence ever again. It would only exist in his memory. "Especially not the part where you accused me of… Of… Of doing anything of that nature with Tom fucking Riddle!" she shrieked, landing another punch to his shoulder despite his efforts to get away from her.

"I know! Merlin, Granger! I'm fucking sorry!" he shouted, moving to the other side of the coffee table in front of the fireplace, putting it between them.

"I would _never_ touch him willingly! In any capacity and it hurt that you would think otherwise."

That single word stuck in his mind and he let his anger at being used as a punching bag fade away. "Has he…" His throat constricted. "Touched you…unwillingly?"

The way the anger deflated from her and the fact that she cast her eyes down had his blood boiling with rage. Despite that she wouldn't meet his gaze, he watched her war with her thoughts, debating on what she should tell him. With each passing second, he fought the urge to leave her and seek out Riddle. He couldn't kill him, but he was ready to die trying.

He hadn't even realized that he had crossed the room until the floral scent of her hair filled his nose. He was worried that she would push him away, but sighed with relief when she returned his hold just as tightly.

"Tell me," he demanded.

Words fell from her lips immediately. At some point, they had sank to the floor, leaning against the back of the couch as she spoke. He held her tightly as she curled into his side while she told him about the few interactions she had previously held back on. He was relieved to know that there weren't as many as he thought and they were all recent. He was even more relieved that it was just bullying. Of course, hearing how he had roughed her up in the library that day and then how he had terrorized her on the night of the New Moon did nothing to quell his anger, but he told himself it could have been worse.

And it was unnerving to know that the Dark Lord had seen what he creates; things he shouldn't know until much later. Granger's mind was already a beacon to him and now she would be able to tell him the future. Even knowing nothing he discovered would be able to change the course of the future didn't keep Draco from thinking a slew of horrible what-ifs.

"Do you feel that there are any gaps in your memory?" he asked when she was done. "Any fleeting thoughts that you just can't seem to grab hold of?"

She shook her head immediately. "I can't explain it, but no. I don't think he's done that to me."

His jaw ticked. He had to ask again; despite the fact that she had just dumped a lot of information on his lap, he had to know. "And you're sure he's never forced himself on you in other ways?"

"Yes, Malfoy. I'm sure," she replied, shifting away from him.

He didn't believe her, but he wasn't going to force her to speak to him either. He would just make sure to do a better job at keeping her safe. When he saw her check the time with a flick of her wand, he declared, "I'm going with you to your observation. I won't let him be alone with you ever again."

She shook her head. "I already tried to drop Astronomy and hiding from him all week has been making him angry. I have to face him at some point and now that he doesn't have the option of telling you as a threat, I-"

"Dippet said no?" he interrupted. "Why?"

"Because it's already six weeks into term and it would be unfair to Riddle to lose a partner at this stage," she said bitterly. He wondered if she hadn't been quoting the headmaster directly. "And you can't come with me because in this time, Riddle is a star student. One word from him on the inappropriateness of me bringing my…" She paused and gave a little sigh. "I just don't want to deal with him being petty either."

He frowned at the way she shied around saying boyfriend. Whether it was just awkward to say given who they were or if she was still upset with him, it didn't sit well with him. "Fine, then I'll wait at the base of the tower."

"You don't have to," she said, pushing away from him completely in order to get to her feet.

"Do you not want me to?" he asked, getting up as well.

She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I don't care, Malfoy. I'm exhausted. I'm going to do what I need to for this stupid class, and then I'm going to bed. If you want to wait for me, fine, but I'm not expecting anything from you."

She turned to leave, but he was quick and caught her hand, pulling her back. His other hand rose to cup her cheek and he held her close while he stared down his nose at her. "You're still mad at me."

"I'm not," she said, her voice tight. She swallowed hard and her eyes went glassy with unshed tears. "I'm not," she repeated, her voice softening.

"Granger-"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this sooner; I know I should have." She wet her lips. "I don't know that I would have been able to tell Harry or Ron either. I'm more mad at myself."

"You would have told them both right away and they would have found a way to destroy him despite what they knew of the future. Which, believe you me, I will be trying to circumvent myself." His lips pressed into a thin line for a moment. "I know part of you still struggles to trust me and I understand, but please don't shut me out."

"I won't," she promised.

He inclined his head and leaned in, expecting his lips to meet hers. He went completely still as she turned her head at the last second so that his lips connected with her cheek. He heard the sharp intake of breath from her and when he pulled back, she refused to meet his gaze.

"I have to go," she whispered, pulling away from him completely and leaving without another word. All he could do was stand there dumbfounded and watch as the door shut behind her, wondering if she hadn't just lied to him again.

* * *

Things really had been beginning to bottle up from not telling Malfoy and she was glad that she had finally told him. However, for as good as it felt to get things off of her chest, Hermione still felt guilty for holding stuff back. She hadn't told him about the time they had kissed in Hogsmeade and how Riddle had watched. She hadn't told him the full truth about her encounter with him in the Restricted Section or how bad it truly was that night on the Astronomy Tower.

She certainly hadn't told him about the hidden passage near the potion's classroom.

Even guilt didn't feel accurate for what she was feeling by holding these things back from him.

As Hermione walked the slowest she had ever done, she felt fear creep down her spine. She had avoided Riddle at all costs since the incident on Tuesday. She had felt his eyes on her when she couldn't. Which wasn't any different than usual, but the weight of gaze was suffocating now.

She had learned a great deal about Riddle from Dumbledore taking Harry down memory lane. She knew that he was incapable of love due to the circumstances of his birth. He had told her that he had no interest in carnal pleasures; had been disappointed when alluded to her engaging in that way with Malfoy. Whether he had ever given in to his own impulses, she wasn't completely sure.

She shuddered at the entrance of the Astronomy Tower as she recalled just how aroused he had been. There was no mistaking the feel of it when it had been pressed against her.

She wondered what had made him stop. If it was the fact that she had called out Malfoy's name or that he had snapped out of his lustful daze long enough to control himself again.

Either way, she wasn't going to let it happen again. She just had to figure out a way to get rid of her book with Malfoy or establish a new link without telling him why.

And as she stepped onto the observation deck, coming face-to-face with Riddle, she berated herself for the hundredth time that week in not realizing that it hadn't been Malfoy. Riddle was taller. Their hair was different lengths. They smelled different too. Malfoy reminded her of a chilly evening; of sitting in front of a bonfire in an apple orchard. Riddle was the crisp scent of fresh snow after a storm in the dead of night.

"I thought I would have to finish this report on my own," he said, turning back to the telescope he had looked up from upon her entry.

"If I had gotten my way with Dippet, you would have had to."

He didn't even turn back to her. "Yes, I was told you tried to drop Astronomy. I was asked if everything was alright between us. The headmaster was very concerned about what could have frightened you so."

"I didn't say anything," she replied, her voice weak. Fear was beginning to settle in. She hadn't realized that it would have gotten back to him. Her mind began to run rampant with all the ways in which he could retaliate and she regretted telling Malfoy not to come with her.

He hummed his response and stepped away from the telescope to look at her again. His eyes were nearly black as they slowly raked down her body. When they rose to connect with hers again, she wrapped her arms around herself.

"How did you know about the book?" she asked.

"I saw Draco use it during your first week as well as you using it to speak to him in the library more than once. It was when I stumbled across your knowledge of my diary that I realized you stole my idea. Very clever."

She nodded and tucked her hands in to the bends of her arms to keep them from trembling more. "So was that your intention when you decided to play that card?"

His jaw clenched as at her words.

"Because I thought you didn't participate in those activities?"

His eyes darkened even further and his nostrils flared slightly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. If she didn't know any better she would think he was afraid of her to some degree. "So was it the fact that I called out for Draco or that I made you lose control that you ran away?"

"I did not lose control," he said, his voice dark.

"I'm not yours to have, Riddle," she said, dropping her hands as they curled into fists at her side. A sudden rush of anger rose up, overpowering her fear, enabling her to step forward. "And if you ever touch me like that again, especially under the guise of Draco, I will go right to Dumbledore and spill every single one of your secrets."

"I could do anything I wish and make you forget it ever happened," he stated.

"I'll take my chances," she replied. "But I don't think you would do that."

"What makes you think that?" he asked, his brow lifting.

"Because you've had a few days to do so and I still remember."

He took a step forward and Hermione forced herself to stay put instead of cowering back. "I still could."

"I've already told Draco."

His smile was cold and it made her shiver. "You may have told him a few things, Miss Granger, but you did not tell him about that." He took another step. "If you had, there is no way he would have let you come here alone."

Hermione cast her eyes down, her anger giving way to fear again.

He was standing directly in front of her by the time she exhaled again. He grasped her chin in his hands and yanked her head back up so he could see her eyes. "You will not say anything to Dumbledore. You will tell Draco what he needs to know about our time alone, Hermione, and nothing more. You know things about me; things that I have shared with no one. Things that I have yet to even accomplish. You will tell me everything I wish to know or you will regret it."

Her eyes widened at his threats.

"And because I have seen enough of your Gryffindor martyrdom, let me be very clear. Any pain I inflict will be on Draco _Malfoy_, not you. I sense traces of my magic on him as well and even more so there. I know he bears my mark on his arm. You and I both know what I can make him do to himself or to you and that he would be powerless to resist." He paused and she tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened on her jaw. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Y-yes," she whispered, her voice shaking with her fear.

She felt his magic washing over her in waves, the weight of it forcing her to her knees. She struggled and opened her mouth to scream, only to find that her voice had been silenced. He stared down at her calmly as he watched his magic try to tear her apart. His eyes flashed with the smallest trace of red around the edges, eager to see her suffer. Just when she thought she would succumb, the lingering Dark magic in her system reappeared. It formed a barrier around her and when it successfully removed his hold, it shoved and sent him stumbling back.

He watched her, his eyes raking over her completely in awe. "It seems that the traces of my magic are protecting you."

Hermione noticed it too as, instead of returning to Riddle, the traces returned to her, wrapping around her like a blanket before settling back into her skin. "I don't understand," she said, her throat raw despite only screaming into a void of silence.

He straightened himself and approached her carefully. When he stopped, he stretched a hand down to her and she only hesitated for a moment before she took it. "I have surrounded myself with people who are not afraid to turn towards Darkness, but I have never encountered anyone that the Darkness has responded to as it does to me."

A chill crept up her spine. Hearing appraisal about her affinity for the Darkness from the Dark Lord himself was not inspiring in the least. And as much as she wanted to shove him away and lash out with every spell she knew, her curiosity got the better of her. "Why?"

He inclined his head. "I would like us to figure that out together."

She shuddered again. Was this what she had to accomplish before she and Malfoy could return home? Was she supposed to become the Dark Lord's protégé? Was this why he hated Muggleborns and most importantly her? Did she let him teach her Dark magic and then have him discover her blood status on his own?

"I don't want to stain my core."

The smile faded from his lips and even turned into a frown at her statement. "Have you heard of Grey magic?" She sifted through her thoughts and then shook her head. "Grey magic is when a witch or wizard with an untainted core calls upon Dark magic with Light intentions. It is the intention of your spell that dictates the trace or stain left behind. Very hard to achieve, yet, something tells me you would be the one to figure it out."

"How does that even work?" she asked before she could stop herself.

His eyes darkened with desire, making her shiver. It made her aware of not only how close they were standing, but the fact that her hand was still in his. "I can show you that, Miss Granger, and so much more."

"What if I don't want to learn?"

"You will," he said, his thumb brushing at the back of her hand over and over again. "For the same reasons you will keep the nature of our encounters to yourself. And I suggest you do whatever it takes to keep both Draco and Dumbledore from getting suspicious. You and I will be meeting more frequently."

She swallowed hard. "I'm not a good liar. Draco will see right through me."

"That," he said, releasing her hand slowly. "Is not my problem. Goodnight, Miss Granger. I will see you at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow."

He packed up his things and vacated the tower, leaving her alone to process the dangerous game she had been forced to play.


	30. Chapter 30

**THIRTY**

_**Saturday, 11 October 1944**_

Hermione had done nothing but toss and turn throughout the night. Her waking moments had been filled with worry about the future and her dreams were nothing but nightmares in which Riddle tortured Malfoy in new and creative ways. By the time she woke up, she looked worse than before she'd gone to bed.

Luckily for her, she had magic. After the hottest shower she could stand, she used every charm she could think of to hide the purple bags under her eyes and removed the redness from them as well. When she was dressed in a simple dress she had borrowed from Kalista and then charmed red and gold, she let her roommate do her hair. The style was simple, much to her liking. Kalista had pulled the top half away from her face and braided it over the bottom portion, leaving enough curls loose to frame her face.

"Did you and Draco make up?" Kalista asked as she finished her charms on Hermione's hair.

She nodded. "It'll still be a bit before we're back to normal, but for the most part, yes."

"Good," she said, giving her a smile. "It was hard to see you like that. I'm here, you know," she stated, opening the door. "If you ever need to talk."

"Thanks, Kalista," she said and followed her to the common room.

The moment she stepped into the corridor, she prepared herself to find Malfoy with Riddle and the others, but it was still jarring to see. Riddle noticed her first, but she refused to look at him, concentrating on Malfoy only. Kalista parted towards her own friends as Hermione continued forward until she was standing at Malfoy's side. He wasted no time in sliding his arm around her waist to pull her close. She looked at him in surprise, but quickly put a smile on face.

"Good morning."

"Morning," she returned.

"Are you really cheering for the Gryffindors?" Avery asked, sneering at her dress.

"Why not?" she returned. "We're all at the same school and it's just a game. Besides, there is nothing wrong with the Gryffindors."

All of them snorted at the same time to which she rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised Draco isn't decked out in the same colors," Lestrange said, smirking at Malfoy.

For a moment, she openly gaped at the man before turning her head to Malfoy. He did a double take at the sight of her amusement. "Oh no. Do _not _put ideas in her head like that."

"Just for the game?" she questioned.

He groaned and glared at Lestrange. "I think that's enough of you lot this morning. If you'll excuse us," he said, pulling Hermione away.

As she went, her gaze briefly connected with Riddle's. "We will see the two of you in the stands, yes?" he asked.

Malfoy's arm tightened on her waist for a split second as he looked up at Riddle. "Of course."

Riddle nodded in approval and Hermione finally pulled her gaze from his, letting Malfoy guide her out. When the common room entry closed behind her, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled at Malfoy when he canted his head at her. He dropped his arm and reached for her hand instead, pulling her further down the hall. When she realized his intention was to pull her into the secret passage, she yanked her hand from his and took a large step back.

"Are you alright?" he asked, staring at her intently.

She cleared her throat and nodded. "I'm fine. It's too stuffy in there."

He studied her for a moment and shrugged, even more curious when she relaxed and bolted away from the passage towards the Great Hall. "How did it go last night?" he asked, falling to step beside her.

She shrugged her shoulders, trying her best to school her features. This was the worst part of being a Gryffindor. She often wore her heart on her sleeve and she had been told multiple times she was a shit liar. She would definitely need to up her skills in the Slytherin cunning department if she wanted to keep him safe.

"He demanded I tell him what I know of him. That if I don't let him see, he's just going to make me."

He stopped walking and Hermione saw the way he flinched slightly. "I know firsthand how awful he can make Legilimency; regardless how willing the recipient is. Are you going to let him?"

"I don't see why not," she stated. "He's already seen more than I thought and since the Single Continuum theory dictates that nothing will change…" She shrugged again.

"What if that ends up not being true? In that case, you've practically handed him victory on a platter."

"Nature always has a way of balancing itself out. Grindelwald was defeated and Voldemort will be too. Maybe giving him what he wants extends the war, but he _will_ be taken down at some point. There will always be Light to balance out the Dark."

Malfoy's upper lip curled at that. "Where did you get that tripe from?"

"I probably read it somewhere," she mumbled, moving past the threshold into the Great Hall. "At any rate, the faster I give him the information, the faster I'll become useless. He can do whatever he wants with it once he has it. I've been able to redirect him so far. I just have to practice more. He doesn't need anything personal, just facts."

They took their seats at the end of the table and began digging into the assortment of food before them. "I don't like it."

"I know you don't, Malfoy, but the more I resist, the worse he'll get."

"I know, but-"

"Can we not talk about it right now?" she asked. "Please? I just…"

"Alright," he conceded, his hand coming to cover hers and squeeze it lightly for a moment.

"Thank you," she said and then turned in her seat to eye his clothes. "I think Lestrange had a rather good idea back there."

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "You are _not _putting a dash of red or gold _anywhere_ on me, Granger. I will lock you in a broom closet after I put you in a full body bind if I have to."

"And make me miss a Quidditch game?" she teased and then smirked more. "I could always get that lion hat after all…"

He shuddered and turned to glare at her. "You promised."

She reached over to lay a hand on his thigh, smirking as his gaze dropped to it and then back to her. "You know, I always have wondered what you would look like in red," she said, her voice low.

He cleared his throat and glanced around them, wondering if anyone else heard them. "Fine, but you owe me."

She gave the smallest of shrugs and withdrew her hand, choosing to focus on her breakfast rather than the way he was staring at her and shifting in his seat.

* * *

Quidditch was pure torture.

She hated crowds. And flying. And sports.

At least in her own time she had brought a book or was surrounded by a few other people who weren't into the game and just came to support. Not here. Here she was surrounded by soon to be Death Eaters, their eventual leader, and her enemy turned boyfriend. And the only one who could rival her complete disinterest for this game was Riddle. She felt his eyes on her more than Malfoy's were on the game itself.

Despite the fact that he had let her charm his tie into being red and gold for the afternoon, he was taunting the Gryffindor players at every turn. Most of his complaints were how they didn't see the Snitch and until he had pointed it out on several occasions, she had almost forgotten how good he was at the sport. If Harry hadn't been playing against him, Malfoy surely would have been the best.

She smirked to herself at that thought. No wonder he had hated them for so long. He came in second academically to an outsider and second in his favorite sport to his rival; also an outsider.

Watching him be so engaged in the game was surreal. She had never seen this side of Malfoy and she quite liked it. He was having fun and enjoying himself; it made her smile.

When the game had surpassed the half hour mark, Hermione had grown tired of Riddle's eyes on her and his proximity. She wanted to put some distance between them and knew that the only way she could do so without him following her was to get Malfoy involved. And to do that without letting him know her true intentions, she had to come up with something other than the loo.

When the thought occurred, Hermione bit her lip and looked up at Malfoy. He was enjoying himself immensely, but she wondered if she could make him enjoy the day just a bit more. He did a double take when he noticed her staring at him and he tipped his head to the side in question.

She reached for his hand and then moved forward, dragging him behind her. He didn't resist. He tightened his grasp on her hand and followed in her wake. When they exited their portion of the stands, he pulled her to a stop to question her, but she pushed up on the tips of her toes and brushed her lips over his. When she pulled away again, his eyes had darkened a little and she smirked.

She led him further down the rickety stairs until they reached a landing halfway down. She glanced around to make sure they were alone and then pushed him up against the wall. His hands fell loosely at her waist while hers went up to bring his face down to hers again. This time, she pressed her lips firmly against his and swiped her tongue against his bottom lip.

He pulled his head up sharply and stared down his nose at her. "What are you doing?"

"You looked like you were having a good time so I thought maybe…" she let her voice trail off as her right hand slid down the length of his body until she cupped him through his trousers. His eyes widened and his cock twitched beneath her hand, immediately starting to grow. "Maybe I could make it even better."

He looked around them and then back down at her. Heat rose to her cheeks as doubt crept into her mind. She was sure rejection was coming and she took a large step back. Without saying anything, she turned and made her way down the stairs, muttering curses to herself as she went.

* * *

Draco watched her walk away, left in a momentary stupor before he took off after her. He caught up with her near the bottom and pulled her to a stop by firmly taking hold of her elbow. "Last night, I tried to kiss you and you turned away from me. Today, you're offering to-" He felt his face warm a little and he shook his head. "Your signals are all over the place."

Granger's cheeks turned pink and she cast her gaze to their feet, gently removing her arm from his hold. "This was a bad idea. I'm sorry. You can go back-"

"Hermione, don't," he said reaching out for her hand when she started to turn and walk down the few remaining steps. He could tell that he startled her by the way she tensed up at the sound of her first name from him. She didn't look up or turn back to him, but she stopped trying to get away. "I'm not rejecting your…advances, I just want you to be ready for-"

She yanked her hand from his and her head snapped up to glare at him. "Until _I'm _ready or until _you _decide I'm ready?"

Well that wasn't what he had been expecting from her.

Draco found himself stepping back as she advanced angrily. "You know, if you're not ready, you can tell me; just as I told you. If you want to reject me for any reason, just bloody tell me, _Draco_, but do _not _reject me on the premise you don't think I'm ready."

When his back hit the wall, he scowled at her and reached out to grip her shoulders to keep her at arm's length. "Fine, you're ready. You've made yourself very clear on that, but do you realize where we are, Granger?" he asked, spinning to put her between himself and the wall. "We're in public. I never pegged you as an exhibitionist."

She bat his arms away from her shoulders, making him press against her even more. She smirked up at him and dropped her hands to his trousers, making quick work of his belt. "Guess you better cast some charms then," she said before sliding down the wall to her knees before him.

With one had braced on the wall, his other scrambled for his wand in his pocket. He barely had enough time to cast a silencing charm and a disillusionment on them before she was stroking his fully hardened cock. He hissed as he slid his wand back into his pocket and used the now free hand to pull up his shirt a little.

A guttural groan escaped his throat as he felt her tongue dart out and trace the head of his cock. Her touch was experimental at first, but it didn't take long before she became more sure of herself. It was all he could do not to lose it right then and there when she took him into her mouth as far as she could, her tongue moving against him. He looked down at her and knew that, no matter what happened, he would be wanking to this very moment until the day he died.

She hummed around him and he felt the sensation in the form of vibration. Her head bobbed up and down while she put one hand on the base of his shaft and pumped him readily. She hollowed her cheeks here and there, adding more suction and driving him wild. Her mouth was hot around him and her tongue felt like velvet as it coated and flicked when it could. But none of that compared to just how much of him she was able to take. He was nearly all the way in her mouth; to the point where he was afraid he would hit the back of her throat and make her choke. Yet, she kept drawing him in.

The crowd above them erupted into cheers and he vaguely heard the announcement that the Snitch had been caught. His fingers detached from his shirt only to reach down and sink into her hair. She hummed again and he jerked his hips, driving himself even deeper into her mouth. His head fell back slightly and his fingers tightened in her hair. He inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes shut.

And then her other hand came up to play with his balls and he shoved her head forward, making her take his entire length. She made a light choking noise and sputtered, but otherwise kept going. His eyes opened and he tensed up at the sound of the crowd beginning to empty the stands above them.

"Granger-" he warned, his voice turning into a moan as he bucked his hips again. He ground his teeth when she increased her ministrations and he realized she had no intentions of stopping; a crowd of people around them or not. But whatever she was doing was _working_ like she had been doing this for ages.

"_Hermione_, I'm- _Fuck_."

His nails dug into the wall as he pitched forward, his legs trembling as his seed shot down her throat in spurts. She kept her mouth on him and he could feel her throat moving as she swallowed every last drop of him.

Finished, she stood up, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, staring up at him with fire in her chocolate eyes. He hastily redressed himself as the crowd began to descend on them and the moment he was decent, he grabbed her face and crushed his lips down on hers.

She parted her lips for him immediately and they groaned at the same time. He could taste himself on her tongue as his slid over hers. He pressed himself against her tightly, not caring if his charms were still there or if anyone could see them if they weren't.

Granger roughly pulled her lips away and his head fell into the crook of her neck. They were both panting hard for air at that point and he dropped his hands to her waist.

They both froze at the sound of whistles and chuckles, turning slowly to see Riddle and his group crowding around them while others trickled down the rest of the stairs. "We were wondering where you two had run off to," Avery said, smirking at them.

Draco tried his best to act nonchalant, but it was no use. Especially with Granger at his side with her eyes down and face as red as her dress. "And to think you weren't there to show support when your other house won," Lestrange teased.

Granger's head popped up at that and she smirked at their classmate. "Of course Gryffindor won; they always do."

Draco watched as her gaze slid to the side and felt her body go tense again. He followed her gaze and found Riddle staring at her intently. His jaw clenched when he realized Riddle's eyes were darkened in anger. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her tight to him, the action causing her to break her gaze from Riddle and turn it to him instead. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes and she shuddered.

Riddle turned and walked away from the rest of them.

Draco and she followed and walked back to the castle with them. He kept a tight grip on Granger's hand, his eyes never leaving the back of Riddle's head as the others filled him in on how the game had come to an end.


	31. Chapter 31

**THIRTY-ONE**

_**Sunday, 12 October 1944**_

The rest of Saturday, Hermione felt Malfoy and Riddle's constant gaze on her. Riddle's looks were more reproachful, like he was lost amongst thoughts of self-deprecation and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Malfoy, on the other hand, kept looking at her as if she was more of a stranger than ever before and potentially made of glass. She had hoped to spend the night in the Room of Requirement, but after dinner, she decided she'd had enough of both of them and retreated to her room.

And because she had gone to bed early, she was up early too. Quietly, she threw on the clothes she had been wearing upon their arrival and used her wand to find the time. She balked when she discovered just how early it truly was. With no desire to use the book again after the last time, she dared to scribble a note, transfigure it into a cat, and send it towards Malfoy's room when she reached the common room. As it ran off, she turned and made way for the library, her pass for the Restricted Section in her back pocket. He would find her there later when he woke.

The sun was only just beginning to rise, leaving the hallways still dimly lit from the faint glow of the enchanted sconces. It was strange to be walking through the castle at this hour. Sure, she had wandered these halls in secret since she'd begun attending the school, but there was always a hint of life around. Now, in the wee hours of the morning, she could hear the wind as it drafted through the cracks and the sound of her steps were almost too loud.

The library was equally as eerie and felt larger than usual. To anyone else, it might have been frightening, but Hermione was giddy at the idea of having the room all to herself. She practically skipped her way to the Restricted Section, feeling the most like herself than she'd experienced in awhile.

For the first time since her first visit to this library, she hadn't come here with anything specific in mind to read. No topic, no author; not even so much as a genre. She just wanted to browse and see what ancient tomes were lying around for anyone to peruse at their leisure. So she took her time in the Restricted Section, going up and down the rows. Sometimes she had lean in and blow a thick layer of dust from the spine to even read the title. Others were so grimy she had to use her wand, only to discover it was written in another language.

Even as light began to trickle in from the windows as the sun rose, bathing everything in the palest sheen of gold, Hermione still hadn't finished browsing. It wasn't until she came across a little shelf tucked into the recesses of the furthest corner that she found something worth spending some time on. Her fingers grazed over tomes that looked like they were older than the castle until she found a small silvery one with no title.

She jumped as someone pressed themselves against her back, their right arm joining hers to stroke the spine of the same book. For a moment, she smiled and leaned back into them, thinking it was Malfoy, but realized very quickly that the skin on the arm wasn't pale enough and the scent that permeated her nostrils didn't belong to him either.

It belonged to Riddle.

She went rigid, but she knew better than to try and get away from him. She could feel his breath on her skin as his head rested near hers. She heard a sharp intake of breath as he turned slightly to bury his nose in her hair. She began to tremble slightly as he hummed in approval, the action sending vibrations down her back. Slowly, she removed her fingers from the spine of the book, letting her arm fall back to her side, watching as he followed suit.

"That note wasn't meant for you."

"Are you sure?"

She hesitated to answer and he harrumphed in her silence.

"You could have easily placed enchantments on the note to prevent anyone but Draco from reading the contents. Why, Miss Granger, if I did not know any better, I would think you _wanted _me to know where you were going this morning," he taunted. "And that you would be alone."

She stiffened, not sure what to think. Had she meant for him to find her? Hadn't she _known_ that he might have intercepted the note and taken the opportunity to get her alone like this? Did he leave the note for Draco to see when he woke or had he destroyed it so there would be no interruptions?

Her mind was racing so hard and fast that she hadn't even noticed his mind slipping into hers. It wasn't until he spoke, answering her unspoken questions that she realized he was there.

"Draco will get the note, but he is quite enjoying the dream I left him with. He will not be coming to find you anytime soon."

Hermione frowned at the idea of Riddle messing with Malfoy's mind. "I thought you said you leave him alone as long as I told you what you wanted to know?" she questioned, desperate to turn around face him, but finding herself frozen in place.

She jumped slightly as she felt his right hand raise, his fingers ghosting along waist, flicking at the hem of her shirt. "I have not gone back on my word, Hermione. The dream was already his own; a repeat performance of your encounter at the Quidditch pitch. I just added some embellishments and pushed him deeper into his slumber."

"I don't care if it was pleasant," she stated, her voice light. "Leaving him alone means exactly that. Good or bad; don't do anything to him."

His fingers dipped beneath the hem of her shirt, his warmth pressing against her skin as his hand rested on her waist. She drew in a shaky breath and shivered from head-to-toe as his words tickled her skin. "It was not my intention to displease you. I apologize."

Hearing _that _come from Riddle's mouth allowed whatever it was freezing her in place to melt. She whirled around in the tight space between him and the bookcase. She hadn't even thought he knew what an apology was, let alone able to say the words.

"I am not a monster," he stated, a frown on his face as he held her gaze, his presence still in her mind like a faint glow around the edges.

"Where I come from, you are."

His eyes darkened in the low light of the room and he tipped his head down ever so slightly. "Show me."

Hermione leaned back against the shelf, grateful for any amount of distance that she could put between them. It was unnerving how he could evoke a combination of emotions within her, including fear, desire, and anxiety. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She thought of the last time she had seen Voldemort's face. It was in the Prophet. She conjured the cover story and brought it forth.

She could feel him in her mind, his presence moving towards the image. While he studied his future self, Hermione thought back to everything she knew of Legilimency. From all accounts that she knew when Voldemort used it, it was an unpleasant experience; that he would tear into one's mind, willing or not. If the victim wasn't well versed in Occlumency, it would often result in extreme pain and sometimes addled the mind beyond recognition. She thought over every time he had slipped into her mind and couldn't recall a single time it had been agonizing. He had always been gentle with her.

Why?

He retreated from her mind and she sighed heavily, the absence leaving her a little lightheaded. When she blinked her eyes open, he was staring at her with a frown. "That's the price of splitting your soul so often," she said softly. "To become a monster, you have to look the part."

"How many times have I split my soul?" he asked, his voice strained behind the calm façade.

"Five," she replied. "That I know of anyway. There could be more." She paused and canted her head to the side. "There's probably more."

"Mmm." He reached up, his index finger landing on her shoulder and slowly dragged down her arm as he asked, "Would you still consider me a monster then if I looked as I do now?"

She swallowed, her throat tight. "It's not your looks that make you a monster, Riddle, it's everything else."

"Draco was one of my followers and the two of you were not friends in the slightest. Do you not consider him a monster?"

"No," she replied immediately, surprising herself with the amount of conviction in her voice. "A prat, yes, but never a monster. He was just a boy." She paused and blinked at the tears that clouded her vision. "A boy that had no choice."

Saying that out loud brought back a rush of fear as she realized who was in front of her. That not once since his arrival had he been anywhere but in her personal space. Her skin prickled with gooseflesh as she recalled the way his fingers had pressed against her stomach beneath her shirt. It wasn't his touch that made her want to spew sick all over the floor; it was her reaction to it.

The only thing keeping her on the verge of a panic attack and not launching into one was knowing that he couldn't hurt her. That thought alone allowed her to get control of her breathing again.

"Are you jealous of Draco?" she asked, his words finally sinking in.

His jaw clenched and his gaze hardened, but he refused to look away.

"Careful, Riddle," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's a human emotion."

Had she not been so close to him, she would have missed the way the corners of his lips turned up. He took a half step back and Hermione nearly gasped at the way her body shuddered from the loss of his presence so close to her. "I believe I have gathered enough information from you today, Hermione." He inclined his head, studied her for another moment, and then turned away.

When she was alone, her mind raced and her body began to tremble as she realized she had been flirting with him. That he had been seductive to her and she not only responded, but hoped for more. She swallowed hard, trying to keep back the bile that was turning acrid at the back of her throat.

What if she was wrong? What if the Single Continuum theory was just that; a theory? What if her telling Riddle these things changed everything and affected the future her and Malfoy hoped to go back to? What if there no rhyme or reason for the door to appear; and that it just did? Like a portkey, maybe the door just had a certain time it worked opposed to all the other times. If that was the case, there was potential to change the future.

Harry had said Voldemort was incapable of love.

What if he wasn't? What if he fell in _love _with her and when she couldn't- _wouldn't_ love him back, it destroyed him? It would explain the hatred Malfoy described when Voldemort spoke of her in the future. Maybe Voldemort's hatred of her had nothing to do with her being Muggleborn. She leaned her head back against the books and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could do this. It was hard enough to admit her feelings for Malfoy, but to desire Voldemort too?

She shook the thoughts away and turned to grab the book she had been about to read when Riddle showed up. Before her mind could even entertain the idea of going down _that _road, she curled up in a corner beneath the window and cracked open the book.

But even as her mind devoured the words before her, she couldn't help but wonder how many lives she would be able to save if she could prevent Tom Riddle from becoming the Dark Lord she had come to know in her time.


	32. Chapter 32

**THIRTY-TWO**

_**Tuesday, 14 October 1944**_

On Tuesday, Draco knew for certain that it would be sugar quills that put him in an early grave. Watching her taste the plume with a tongue he knew full well felt like velvet against his skin was pure torture. In fact, he might prefer the Cruciatus curse to watching her with the sweet between her lips. Already, he was hard and squirming in his seat. If he didn't get away from her soon, he was going to make quite a mess.

He slammed his book shut, making her jump from across the table and drop the sugar quill. She watched him as he began to hastily shove things into his bag. "We just got here," she said, lifting a brow. "It's too early for Ancient Runes."

"We're going outside."

"But-"

"Granger," he warned, the tone of his voice making her eyes go wide. "If we don't get out of the castle _right now_, I'm going to make quite the scene of throwing you down on the table and repay the favor I owe you for Saturday."

She bristled, clearing her throat and looking down at the table, but he saw the deep crimson stain on her cheeks and smirked. Good, at least he wasn't the only one hot and bothered. He looked away from her, concentrating on packing up and getting his blood to come back to the upper half of his body.

When they were both were ready to go, he twined his fingers with hers and led them out of the castle. They were silent as they took their time walking the grounds. It was almost too chilly outside; a sign that winter was fast approaching. Even being mid-October, he knew they would be getting snow sooner rather than later. They always did this far up in the Highlands.

When she realized they were heading towards the Quidditch pitch, she came to a stop. She dropped his hand to cross her arms over her front and quirked a brow at him. "How subtle," she deadpanned.

He scoffed. "When you see what I _actually _brought you out here for, you'll be wishing it was for a repeat performance."

She paled at his words and he couldn't help but laugh at her as he reached for her hand and began to pull her towards the pitch again. When they reached the field, he led her to the locker rooms and knew the moment she realized his true intentions. Her eyes went wide in a panic and she stepped away from him.

"No."

"Granger, you need to learn how to fly."

"No thank you. I can get where I need to be by plenty of other means."

He was prepared for a fight and knew exactly which buttons he could push to get her to go along with what he had planned. "Alright, then will you let me take you for a ride? I promise not to drop us like you did."

She huffed at him. "I _hate_ getting on those."

"Why?" he asked, stepping forward, broom in hand.

"Because…"

"Try again."

She sighed in exasperation. "Because I'm afraid of heights and falling. Because I don't like things that I can't have full control over."

"I promise I won't go high and you won't fall."

She worried at her bottom lip and then sighed before the edges of her lips quirked up faintly. "You were right."

"About?" he drawled, smirking down his nose at her.

"I would much rather repeat my performance."

He laughed and leaned in to capture her lips with his. When he pulled back, he positioned himself over the broom and kicked off. After a few circles around Granger to test the vehicle, he hovered in front of her and offered his hand. She hesitated a moment before she took it and he pulled her in front of him.

It was much harder to resist the urge to just go as high as he could just to torment her, but he kept his word and kept them relatively low to the ground. He wrapped one arm around her waist, enjoying the way her back felt against his chest. His other hand steered the broom from in front of her, keeping them at a leisurely pace no more than ten feet from the ground.

"See? Not so bad, right?" he asked, pressing his face near her ear.

She turned her face towards him a little and shrugged. "I guess it could be worse."

He wanted to ask if Weasley or Potter had ever taken her flying and if her fear of a broom was because they had dropped her, but he didn't want to upset her. Instead, he just focused on the way she felt in his arms and the wind as it rushed over them. Eventually, she relaxed into him and he smiled before placing a kiss to her shoulder. It was when she began to shift against him that he lowered them back to the ground.

She trembled slightly when her feet touched the ground again and he stared reluctantly towards the locker room. "Thank you," she said quietly, her hand coming to rest over his.

"For?"

"For being gentle. I know you wanted to do more than just coast."

He smirked.

"Maybe next time you can go a little higher," she said, catching him completely off guard.

"Don't tempt me, Granger. I'll fucking do it."

She withdrew her hand from his and laughed. "Just remember, if you drop me, I don't care how high we are up there, you're coming down with me."

"Deal," he said and returned the broom to the locker room.

When he came back out, the sight of her standing there, off to the side, staring out at the field, stole his breath and made him pause. Her hair was wilder than it had ever been from the wind, but he thought it looked best like this. The way she was looking up at the stands with eyes still dilated from adrenaline and slightly parted lips made him hard. The way she was now reminded him of the way she had been in the Room of Requirement the night of the New Moon. He could clearly recall the way she sounded and the look on her face as she brought herself to climax.

He wanted to see it again, but this time, he wanted to be the one to responsible for her pleasure.

He stalked towards her, surprised that she didn't notice him until he was nearly there. His right hand rose to cup the back of her head, tugging her hair slightly to get better access to her mouth as his slid across hers. His left arm circled around her waist and drew her close. She melted into his embrace and kissed him back with equal fervor.

He pushed them forward until she collided with the wall. The moment she did, he moved his lips to her neck and shoved his knee between her legs. She shivered and her hips bucked, causing her core to slide up his thigh wantonly. He pressed it higher and she moaned loudly, her fingers clutching tighter at his shirt.

"I was serious about repaying you that favor," he rasped against the column of her throat.

He felt her shudder around him and it only made his trousers that much tighter. "But I- I'm…"

He pulled his head back just enough to look at her and brought his hand from her hip up to cup her jaw. "Please?" He tracked her tongue as it came out to swipe at her upper lip. "You were so good to me the other day, Granger," he purred, tilting her jaw off to the side so he could put his lips to her ear. "Do you want me to be good to you now?"

A strangled cry escaped her lips and she nodded as eagerly as she could into his hold on her face. He smiled against her ear and brought his head back, turning her face towards his once more. He sought her gaze and leaned into to kiss her hungrily again. She trembled slightly as his hands slid down to her hips. When he was ready to follow their path, he lightly nipped at her bottom lip and then sank to his knees before her.

He kept his eyes on her and when she didn't look away, he felt his cock twitch. He swallowed hard and slid both hands up her skirt, enjoying the way her skin prickled beneath his touch. Gently, he curled his fingers around her knickers and began to slowly drag them down her legs. He helped guide her legs so she could step out of them and then moved to push her skirt up around her middle.

Eyes still locked on one another, he let his hand trail up her inner thigh and then nudged her to widen her stance. Her cheeks flushed a violent shade of red and her eyes began to flutter closed. He groaned low in his throat when his fingers skimmed over her core and coming away coated in slick. He dropped his gaze to what was right in front of him and wet his lips at the discovery of how she glistened before him.

Her body bowed forward as slipped his index finger through her folds a few times before adding his middle to spread her nether lips wide. He swallowed hard and looked back up at her, smirking as their gazes met again. He wet his lips and dipped his head closer to her. She cried out and shook as his tongue swept across her. He hummed as he brought his tongue back into his mouth, savoring the taste of her.

When she canted her hips towards him, he wasted no time in flickering her clit with his tongue. She cried out and reached down to card her fingers through his hair. Her moans and pleas were like music to his ears and it spurred him on. He grasped her leg and maneuvered it over his shoulder carefully, allowing him better access.

Draco had never done this with Pansy. He had been curious, sure, but she had showed no interest in letting him anywhere near her like this. Looking back on it now, it made sense. Somehow going down on a girl was far more intimate than getting a blow job. They were definitely not ready for that back then.

He hoped that he was doing Granger justice, because he was planning on spending a lot of time tasting her in the near future. With one touch of his tongue to her, he knew he had become addicted. There was no way he was going to give her up and he would do anything to prove it to her. That he wanted her here in the past and would still want her when they made it back to the future.

He pulled his head back from her enough to catch his breath, moaning at the fact that he could taste her when he licked his lips. She was staring down at him with the beginnings of a pout from the loss of his mouth on her and he smirked before pressing his index finger gently inside her core. Her eyes widened with pleasure a moment before she threw her head back and moaned loudly.

It was a wonder that he didn't come right then and there as he felt her clutch and spasm around his finger. It took all of his will power not to replace his finger with his cock immediately. She surprised him by lifting her hips a fraction and then falling back onto him. He shuddered with pleasure at the knowledge she wanted to ride his fingers. He swirled his finger inside of her and began to resume his work of bringing her over the edge.

He remembered her tells from the other night and when she was near her release, he added another finger into her before closing his lips back around her clit. She cried out and her hips bucked forward, pushing him back with need. He chuckled against her and decided it was time. He held nothing back as he drove his fingers into her in time with the flicks of his tongue on her clit.

Unintelligible pleas fell rapidly from her lips from above and her fingers spasmed in his hair in attempt to keep him in place. As if he were going anywhere. He felt it a split second before it happened. Her body nearly came off the wall as it stretched taut. Her core flooded with arousal, dripping out past his fingers. And the sound of her calling his given name echoed around the stands as she came for him. He continued his ministrations until she all but collapsed and only when he felt his lungs burn with the need for a real breath did he slow to a stop.

He turned and pressed a few kisses along the inside of her thigh before withdrawing his fingers, earning a sigh of loss from her. Slowly, he unhooked her leg from his shoulder and made sure she was steady before he rose to his feet again. He stared at her as he brought his hand up, eager to taste her one last time before they cleaned up. She watched him with curiosity as he licked his fingers clean of her essence and the moment he was done, she reached up and brought her lips down to hers.

The way her tongue caressed his curiously as she tasted herself was driving him mad. He pulled away from her abruptly and stepped back so that they were no longer touching. "We need to go back in." His voice was so heavy with desire that he barely recognized it as his own.

Her gaze flickered to the straining bulge of his trousers. "I can-"

He chuckled as he interrupted her. "I _know _you can, but this was about you. I can sort myself out later."

Still in a daze, she simply nodded and smoothed down her skirt. He reached down for her knickers and smirked as he vanished them into thin air. It took her a moment to go from gaping at him to scowling, but she shook her head and laughed before reaching for his hand. After another lingering kiss, he led her back towards the castle.


	33. Chapter 33

**THIRTY-THREE**

_**Wednesday, 15 October 1944**_

The rest of Tuesday, Hermione's head was in a fog. She had spent all of lunch still trembling at Draco's side and he didn't help anything by making a show of licking at fingers every chance he got. It was hard to part from him when it was time for her to go to Astronomy, but she knew the only way to snap out of it was to put some distance between them.

It sort of worked, although she sat in Astronomy with a dreamy smile on her face as she replayed the encounter over and over again. She had always been put off by the idea of someone going down on her. She knew most of it was self-consciousness, but the way Malfoy had looked at her and the noises of approval that he made as he tasted her… Her thighs pressed together tightly in her seat and she cleared her throat.

Hermione tried to concentrate in class, but she didn't hear a single word from Professor Daedalus. She didn't even care that Riddle was watching her as she stared down at her textbook, not reading a single word.

As she met up with Malfoy after class, she had come to the conclusion that having someone else get her off was infinitely better than doing it herself. And she found herself wet again as she wondered just how soon before they could do it again.

Wednesday had passed with a blur and they soon found themselves in the common room after dinner instead of in the library. At one point, Hermione excused herself to use the loo and took her time before returning. As good as she felt, she could only listen to someone talk about the glory of Divination for so long before her dinner made a reappearance. She already regretted saying yes to spending time with her roommates instead of going to the Room of Requirement.

She paused with her hand on the door to leave the loo and realized that she was humming. She didn't know when it had started or what tune it was, but it had happened. She let her hand drop to her side and took a deep breath. The last time she had hummed without thinking was… Her nose scrunched when she couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy.

And the thought that Draco Malfoy was the one to cause it was both absurd and wonderful at the same time.

Not even Riddle could ruin it for her.

But Kerus could.

When she opened the door to leave the loo, he was pacing along the wall opposite of it and stopped at the sight of her. She deflated immediately and all of her happy-go-lucky attitude turned way to anger with a little bit of fear. He slowly raised his hands in mock surrender. "What do you want?" she asked.

"To apologize."

She studied him, tipping her head to the side in thought. He was different than she had ever seen him. She knew she could throw a punch, but it wasn't something that could make him suddenly this afraid of her. "That happened ages ago, Nott."

"Still, I should have never treated you with such disrespect."

Her eyes narrowed as her scrutiny increased. "Did Draco do something to you? I know I didn't punch you that hard."

"Draco didn't do anything."

But someone did.

Her eyes went wide and she took a half step closer to him, stopping when he flinched. "Did Riddle do something to you?"

His jaw ticked and fear flashed in his eyes. "I understand what I did and will not make the same mistake twice." He continued to stare at her as if wanting to say something more, but holding back.

"Spit it out," she demanded.

The same fire that had danced in his eyes before she punched him was back again. "You're playing a dangerous game, Granger. I-" The fire died instantly and the fear was there once more. His eyes dropped to the floor and then he was taking off.

So something had definitely happened to Kerus that night. She had asked Malfoy not to do anything to him and he promised that he hadn't. And she knew Riddle had been livid that night as well, but she would have never thought he turned on his own followers. For her. And Kerus was trying to warn her about Riddle. Like he _knew._

Hermione swallowed hard and debated on going back to the common room or just turning in for the evening. She wasn't sure she could convince Malfoy that nothing was wrong, but she didn't want to alert Riddle to anything as she tried to mull over the information. With a heavy sigh, she chose the common room, but instead of leaving the hallway, she caught Malfoy's gaze and signaled for him to come to her.

"Everything alright?" he asked, leaning in close so the people turning to watch them couldn't hear.

She nodded and looked up at him as her palms rested flat on his chest. "I think I'm going to turn in a little early."

He inclined his head and then leaned in to brush his lips over hers sweetly. "I'll see you in the morning then."

She nodded and stepped into him, reveling in the comfort his arms around her provided. Tearing herself away, she gave him one last kiss and then retreated back down the hall to turn in for the night.

* * *

_**Thursday, 16 October 1944**_

Hermione sat across from Malfoy in the library on Thursday before he left for Ancient Runes, just like always. He was going over some of his notes from his last lesson because he had a test today. She had her own texts open with the intent to write an essay for Charms, but her eyes kept drifting to her red leather book. She had been tempted to use it to write to Riddle, but wasn't sure if it would go to him or Malfoy.

Her opportunity came when he stood up with a grumble and excused himself to look for a text. She reached into his bag and found his copy of their books and cracked it open. She hastily scribbled a hello into her book, her eyes glued to Malfoy's. Nothing.

_I wondered if you would use the book again._

The words appeared in her copy and she tapped the plume of her quill against her cheek before responding.

_I'm cancelling our study session today._

She made sure that nothing appeared in Malfoy's and then stashed his book back in his bag before he returned. As it was, she wanted to be done with hers before he returned so he didn't see her using it.

_A bold move, Miss Granger. One I would heavily advise against._

_You asked me to let you know in advance if something came up, Riddle. That's what I'm doing._

She didn't wait for a response before putting the book back in her bag. And just in time too as Malfoy flopped back into his seat. "Do you want me to quiz you?" she asked. She had never seen him freak out about a class before and wondered if this is how he had been before the war.

He stilled for a moment and then set his book politely on the table. "I'm not really sure why I care so much. It's not like passing or failing this class matters."

"Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one to act that way."

He snorted and turned in his chair to look at her. "I've seen you freak out on your house mates enough when it comes to studying to know that I am _nowhere_ near as bad as you."

She rolled her eyes and went back to her Charms assignment. "Whatever makes you feel better, Draco."

He was silent for a moment, but she could feel the weight of his gaze on her. "I think I'm getting used to it."

"To what?" she asked, looking at him.

"To you calling me by my first name."

She smiled and set her quill down. "I think we're there now."

"Are you sure?" he asked, the tips of his mouth curving upwards as he leaned in. "I would be happy to convince you a little more if you need more sway."

She blushed, but refused to look away. "We're definitely there," she breathed, smirking as she pressed her face closer to him as well. "Although, please feel free to keep trying to convince me."

His eyes widened. He clearly had not been expecting her to play along, much less say something quite like that. She saw his throat bob as he swallowed and his lips parted. Whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by the sound of the bell.

"You're going to class today," she stated.

He huffed, but leaned in to kiss her before putting his things back in his bag. "I'll see you after class then, Hermione" he said and kissed her one more, leaving her smiling at the sound of her name from his lips.

Hermione waited until most of the other students had cleared out of the library before she pulled out her book again. There was still no response from Riddle, making her wonder if he would still show up to the library anyway. As the minutes ticked by, she began to panic wondering if she had made a mistake. What if she had just angered him and he retaliated by doing something to Malfoy later?

Needing to find him to explain herself, she packed up her stuff and made her way through mostly empty halls towards the dungeons. Riddle wasn't in the common room when she arrived. Only a handful of people were there, most of them Sixth or Seventh Years who just didn't have class like her at the moment.

She made her way towards the dorms and when she was sure no one was looking, she turned towards the boys' side and cast the necessary charms to allow her passage. She stopped outside of Riddle and Malfoy's door, hesitating before she knocked. She could turn back now and just deal with him in Astronomy or she could face him now and get it over with.

As she lifted her hand to the door, it opened and Riddle stared at her for a moment before stepping back to invite her in. He closed the door and tipped his head to the side, eyes alight with amusement at the sight of her. "Had you just wanted to be alone with me in my quarters, Hermione, all you had to do was ask."

She drew in a shaky breath and shook her head. "That's not-" She paused and clamped her lips together, pressing them into a thin line. "Please don't lash out at Draco because I cancelled our session today."

"If you tell me why you cancelled, I will consider your request."

She worried at her bottom lip for a moment and then sighed. "Because I knew I would lose my temper with you and I didn't want to do so in the library."

He was surprised by her words. "What have I done to warrant such a temper?"

"Did you do something to Kerus that night?"

There. It was out there and she couldn't take it back.

The way his eyes darkened and all traces of amusement disappeared, Hermione knew she had her answer.

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. "I had told Draco to leave it alone. I didn't think I would have had to tell you too. I took care of the issue myself. I don't need either of you fighting my battles for me." She paused for a moment and lifted her chin. "Least of all you."

He stared at her for a moment and then clasped his hands behind his back. "While your ability to stand up for yourself is admirable, Kerus has been known to cause problems. He has consistently proven himself unworthy of my inner circle time and time again. His behavior towards you was something of a last straw."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not yours to defend, Riddle."

His jaw ticked and his body tensed as if he were going to advance on her, but managed to refrain. "Draco said something similar to me that very night."

"He knew?"

The way his lips curved into a smile caused dread to run its course through her body. "That night he made a valiant effort to remind me that you were his to claim. I made it clear to him that should he continue to provoke me, I can take you from him." This time, he did step forward and Hermione recoiled. "Do I need to remind you of that as well?"

"You can't just _remove_ me from him. I'm not transferrable-"

"I was not referring to your physical being, Hermione," he said, sounding irritated at having to explain it.

Her eyes went wide. "What did you take from him?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Just our conversation of that night," he assured her. "Nothing more."

Hermione exhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing nerves. Her thoughts were running rampant with fear. She couldn't step out of line again. If Riddle had already been messing with Malfoy's mind, he would absolutely do it in retaliation. Whatever he wanted; he would have from her.

"I told you that cancelling on me was ill advised, but since you came to me regardless, I will let it go," he said, closing the distance between them. She nodded as he peered down at her. "You will not cancel on me again, Hermione. You and I have much to discuss and I will not have you thinking you have the upper hand here."

"I won't," she promised. "Never again."

He stared at her for a moment and then stepped back. He moved towards his dresser and opened the bottom drawer. She watched as he rummaged through his things before producing a book and then coming to stand in front of her again. He held it out to her and she reached up for it tentatively. "Do you think you can manage to finish this by the time we meet for observation tomorrow?"

She glanced down at the thin book in her hands and nodded before looking back up. "What is it?"

"Reference material for Grey magic. Do not practice anything. Just read. We can discuss it tomorrow."

She knew it was a dismissal and she was free to leave, but she found herself unable to lift her feet. Instead, she turned the book over in her hands and continued to stare at Riddle.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" he asked, sensing her questions. He didn't even have to be in her mind to know she had several to ask.

"Why are you teaching me?"

"Would you rather I simply exhaust your mind of all that pertains to me and then dispose of what remains?" She shook her head rapidly and he smiled. "Then I believe I am doing you a favor. Your mind and your magic are equally matched with mine. I am too far gone towards the Dark, but the Grey intrigues me. You will satisfy my curiosity by harnessing the Grey and in exchange, I will let you live. Provided you do not challenge me or speak of my past or future to others, so will Draco."

She nodded and found herself able to move. Slowly, she made her way to the door and just as her fingers gripped the handle to open the door, he spoke again.

"Should I find that you are using the Occlumency that Draco is teaching you to conceal any information from me, I will make you kill him. Do you understand me, Hermione?"

She nodded as tears prickled her eyes. She knew it was not an empty threat in the slightest. "I understand," she choked out and then fled from the room.


	34. Chapter 34

**THIRTY-FOUR**

_**Friday, 17 October 1944**_

Thursday night, Hermione had turned in nearly right after dinner so she could read the book. It was barely a hundred pages, but she wanted to make sure she understood the content. She finished it before falling asleep and then read it again throughout the day on Friday. By the time she sat with Malfoy in the common room to wait for Riddle, she had even read it a third time.

After checking her wand for the time thrice in the span of five minutes, Malfoy snapped his book shut and hauled her to her feet. "Come on."

"What are you doing?" she asked, yanking her hand from his as he attempted to pull her towards the common room entrance.

"We're taking a walk."

"I have to-"

"I will make sure you get to the Astronomy Tower right at the stroke of midnight, Granger." He held out his hand for her to take again, crooking his fingers in invitation. "You're about to start driving me mad with how restless you are. A walk would do you some good."

She studied him for a moment and then placed her hand in his gently, threading their fingers together. "Is this a walk or a _walk_?" she questioned, unable to stop the smirk from spreading on her face.

He grinned right back at her as he slung her bag over his other shoulder. "I'm leaving that up to you," he said, a twinkle of mischief in eyes grey eyes.

She rolled her eyes, but she still felt the heat that flamed through her body and caused her heart to skip a beat. Once outside of the common room, they were careful to keep their voices down and peek around every corner to make sure that they wouldn't be seen or heard. Not that it would matter too much if they were caught.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to Malfoy. The conversation just flowed naturally, as if they had been friends since the first day they met. And it wasn't just small talk. They discussed their interests, finding what was mutual between them, and even their childhood. Although they kept that mostly to pre-Hogwarts just in case.

Upon listening to a story about the first time he got on a broom, Hermione made the executive decision to drag him into the closest classroom. He had taken the hint immediately and drew her in for a searing kiss. As the door closed behind them, he dropped the bag and they stumbled towards the nearest desk which he promptly shoved her down on. He followed the action by wedging himself between her legs and losing his hands in her hair as he angled her face up towards his.

When her lips felt raw and tingly, as though continuing to kiss him would make them fall off, she turned her head to the side. Her lungs burned with the sharp inhale she took and she heard him do the same as his lips fell to her neck. His mouth was wet and hot on her skin as he tasted every exposed inch of her. When his hands tugged gently at the hem of her jumper in askance, she nodded and leaned back enough to allow him to pull it over her head and toss it aside.

He wasted no time in kissing his way down her chest. Hermione shivered as she gripped the edge of the desk hard enough to turn her knuckles white, her thighs tightening around him. Much like the last time she had bared her chest to him, he lavished her scars with attention first, praising her repeatedly. Finished, he moved his hands to her breasts, alternating between touching and tasting them.

By the time he kissed his way back up to her lips, she was utterly breathless and ready to fall apart. Her hips had continually bucked towards his, hoping he would take the hint and apply the friction her body desperately sought. "Draco, please," she panted into his mouth, her hand reaching for one of his to place it over her knickers since her skirt had ridden up.

His finger traced her clit over the fabric and she jolted with want. He smiled against her lips. "Will you let me taste you again?"

She nodded eagerly. "Anything. Just… I need you."

He shuddered against her as he peeled her knickers to the side. Slowly, he trailed his lips to her ear as he wet his fingers in her slick. As he nipped at her lobe, he pushed his middle finger into her core. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to take you on a desk, Granger?"

Her body arched into his at his words, pushing his finger even deeper inside of her.

"To see if you can still get the answers right while I'm doing this," he said, adding his index finger and picking up the pace of his movements.

The idea of him doing this to her in class, surrounded by two dozen other people while the professor went about a lecture made her tremble. She swallowed hard and tipped her head back, hoping the cool air of the classroom would quell the heat on her cheeks.

He chuckled in her ear as he angled his hand so that the heal of is palm hit her clit as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. "You like that, do you?" She cried out and reached up to curl her hand around his bicep for purchase. "Sweet Circe, Hermione, I want to be inside you."

A long, drawn out moan tore from her throat as she shuddered violently around him. She hadn't even been close to her release, but the moment he said those words, she found herself racing towards the cliff and falling from it without even stopping. He growled against her ear as his fingers continued to move, extending her release for as long as possible.

He pulled away while she was still in a daze and sighed with relief as she tried to get herself back in order. But Malfoy had other ideas. In the space between breaths, she felt him pushing her gently down on the desk until she was lying completely flat on her back. She barely registered him pulling her knickers down her legs before he pushed her thighs open and leaned down to taste her.

Hermione's head fell back against the desk with a loud thunk. She raised one hand to her chest to squeeze her breasts while the other grasped at the edge of the desk to keep herself from toppling off of it. Draco's tongue devoured every inch of her core. From flicking at her clit to plunging the muscle in and out of her as he had with his fingers, Hermione knew she wasn't going to last long.

When she felt herself standing at the edge again, her hips rose off the table and ground against his face, her thighs clamping down over his head, keeping him right where she wanted him. What pushed her over was him drawing her clit between his lips and flicking it with the tip of his tongue. The barely there sensation sent her careening off the desk and into a pure white void of nothingness.

When she came back down, all of her bones had turned to jelly and she melted against the desk, desperately gulping air into her lungs. Malfoy was still gently lapping at her core, as if she were his favorite flavor and it was being discontinued. "Dr-Draco…" she begged, trying her best to shift away from him from the overstimulation.

He moaned against her, gave one last lick through her folds, and then stood up. His pupils were blown wide as he stared at her, licking his lips of her essence and then wiping the rest from his mouth on the back of his hand. He reached for her, gently bringing her back into a sitting position so that he could kiss her. She sighed into his mouth, still waiting for her mind to decide that tasting herself on his tongue was wrong and make her ashamed of what they had just done. She was glad when it didn't happen.

As she reached for his belt, he laid his hands over hers and shook his head, drawing back from the kiss. "You can make it up to me another day."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled again, the sound making her smile. "Merlin, no, but I wasn't lying, Hermione. I want… More. And I don't want to go that far just because we got caught up in the moment." He grasped her chin lightly and stared at her, gaze turning serious. "Can you honestly tell me that you're ready for _that_?"

She wet her lips and then sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be late meeting Riddle anyway."

She saw him bristle at the mention of Riddle, but he leaned in to kiss her again anyway. "I'll wait up for you in the common room," he said, the tip of his nose brushing her as he pulled away.

She nodded and carefully slid to her feet to redress. She even cast a few cooling charms on herself before slinging her bag over her shoulder and kissing Malfoy once more before taking her leave for the Astronomy Tower.

* * *

Riddle was standing at the railing when she stepped onto the landing. His bag was nowhere in sight. Hermione set hers gently off to the side and slowly approached his side. "Are we not working on our project?"

"I believe we have a much more interesting topic to discuss tonight," he replied, keeping his eyes turned towards the sky.

"How do you want to do this? Are you just going to go in there and sift through my memories or are you going to ask me questions and then fact check to make sure I'm not lying?"

"Did you read the book?" he questioned, ignoring her.

"Three times."

He did look at her then. Just a simple turn of his head, a brief flicker over her face, and then back to the sky. "What have you ascertained from the text?"

She took a deep breath and went over the mental notes she had made in reference to the tome. "That in order for me to even be able to attempt calling on Grey magic, I have to already have an affinity for the Dark." She sighed. "Which I don't."

"You do."

She shook her head. "No, Riddle, I don't. I've seen what Dark magic can do and I despise it. I don't want it anywhere near me. Wearing your locket was one of the worst experiences I've ever gone through and it was a relief to see it destroyed."

He turned so sharply that she jumped. She felt him slip into her mind and she scrambled to conjure the moment Harry and Ron had come back to the tent that night. How Ron had held up the mangled locket to show her it was done. He focused on the image for a long moment before letting her mind settle once more. He did not withdraw from her mind, but he pulled back to the fringes and took a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure and illusion of calm.

"You may think you despise Dark magic, Hermione, but it is only because you are afraid. You are intrigued and fascinated by the subject. You want only to expand your mind and learn everything this world has to offer. The only thing holding you back in your exposure to Dark magic is how others would perceive you should you go down that path."

Her stomach flipped as she pondered his words carefully. In the far recesses of her mind, she knew that he was right to some degree.

"Say there was a world in which that fear would be removed, would you shy away from it?" he asked. "Or would you give in and absorb every morsel of knowledge that crossed your path?"

"I would choose to learn," she answered without hesitating.

Riddle's smile was slow as it took hold of his lips, the action sending a chill down her spine. "That is the essence of Grey magic. It will enable you to try your hand at Dark magic without staining your core. Should you be able to wield it correctly, you will not have to worry what others think of you."

Hermione swallowed hard at the prospect.

"You will meet me in the Restricted Section on Tuesday when Draco leaves for Ancient Runes. I expect you to have three aspects of Dark magic that you find interesting. I will direct you to the appropriate reading materials and we can begin there."

She nodded and they stood there as the silence stretched around them, thickening the tension.

"Don't you want to know how we destroyed it?" she asked.

His head tipped to the side and his lips curled in amusement and anger. "Do I want to know how you managed to destroy a piece of my soul? One that I worked hard to preserve?" He stepped closer to her, his hand coming up to curl around her throat. "It feels as though you _want_ me to hurt you, Hermione. Why else would you ask me such a preposterous question?"

She swallowed hard and wet her lips. "I-if it were me," she whispered, her voice shaking as much as her body. "I would… I would want to kn-know."

His fingers flexed as he debated on whether or not to apply more pressure or let her go instead. His nostrils flared and she could feel his anger in the presence that still lingered on the edges of her mind. "If I want to know something, I will for ask it. Until then, do not volunteer information." His fingers did tighten then and he dragged her closer to him. As a reflex, her hands rose to try and pry him off of her. "You should consider yourself lucky that I cannot hurt you, Hermione."

All she could do was whimper and wish that she hadn't provoked him. She hadn't even meant to do so. She was just asking a simple question. Had she known he would take it as her trying to prove something to him, she would have kept her mouth shut.

He continued to stare at her for a moment and then loosened his hold, but didn't remove his hand. Hermione gulped in large breaths of air and let her hands rest on top of his. She blinked back tears, trying her best to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. But there were too many and before long, she felt them rolling down; her body trembling with fear.

She flinched as his hand moved upwards and it took her a moment to realize that he was cupping her jaw, his thumb brushing the tears from her skin. The sudden display of affection made her head spin with confusion. This was extremely uncharacteristic of the Tom Riddle she knew.

"You need to work on controlling your emotions," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "One look at you like this and Draco will see red." He canted his head to the side. "I would hate to have to hurt him so soon, Hermione. We have only just begun."

She knew he wouldn't even hesitate to wreak havoc on Draco's mind the moment they got back to the common room if she showed up looking like a victim. She nodded again and took in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. She even squeezed her eyes shut with the hopes that she would force the remainder of her tears out.

His presence in her mind began to expand. He worked his way in from the edges slowly until he was in every crevice, blanketing her in an eerie calm. She began to relax then, the combination of his mind and his thumb still stroking her cheek seeming to do the trick. When she opened her eyes again, her vision was free of tears and her body had stopped trembling.

"Five minutes, Hermione," he warned. "Do not make me come back to collect you."

She gave a curt nod and held her breath as his hand slipped away from her cheek and his presence retreated completely from her mind. It wasn't until he was out of sight that she exhaled and stumbled back, hand searching for the wall to hold her up. Her hand rose to her throat, her fingers tapping tentatively at her skin.

Try as she might, she was unable to wrap her mind around what had just happened. He had been angry with her from the get-go and she had provoked him on accident. And yet, despite his anger, he had helped calm her moments later. Why he would do such a thing was beyond her, but she wasn't going to squander his sudden kindness by making him wait for her.

She forced herself to get it together and then grabbed her bag before joining Riddle at the base of the tower. They walked back in silence and he bid her and Malfoy goodnight before leaving them alone. She threw herself at Malfoy and kissed him soundly, thanking him for their encounter, and then bidding him goodnight as well before her façade crumbled and he saw the truth.

* * *

**_Tuesday, 21 October 1944_**

The weekend passed by in a blur. Before she knew it, Hermione was watching Malfoy pack up his things for Ancient Runes on Tuesday and kissing her before heading to class. She waited until she was sure class had started before packing up her own items and making her way towards the Restricted Section.

She was surprised to find Riddle already there, leaning back against one of the shelves waiting for her. She hadn't seen him come into the library and wondered how long he had been there. Had he come in behind them after Defense?

"I can't pick three," she said immediately. She swallowed hard at the way his eyes narrowed at her and she rushed on to explain herself. "While I have experience with Dark magic, I don't really know a whole lot about it. I have never been able to make a decision in all my life without knowing all the facts. This isn't any different. It shouldn't be any different. I need to know what topics there are to discuss before I narrow it down to the ones I really want to learn about."

His expression had changed to one of utter fascination by the time she had finished speaking. Before she knew it, he was smiling at her. She felt something stir in her stomach. It wasn't just one of his cold smiles where there was darkness beneath the surface. No, this was a real smile; one that she never thought he would have been capable of.

"Very well. I have a few books in mind that I want you to read." She watched him disappear down one of the stacks and return with two tomes, each only a fraction larger than the one on Grey magic he had given her. "Can you finish these by Thursday?"

"Yes," she said, taking the books from him.

He inclined his head. "I will have more for you then." He paused to study her for a moment and then took his leave without another word.


	35. Chapter 35

**THIRTY-FIVE**

_**Saturday, 25 October 1944**_

On Thursday, Riddle had come to the library after Draco left for class, dropped off a few more books for her to read, and then took his leave. She had poured over them by the time they met Friday night for their observation. That night, Riddle only discussed their project for Astronomy and left the tower shortly after arriving, leaving Hermione alone to read a bit more. The only thing he had told her was to be patient and that they would be meeting for Observation on Wednesday for the New Moon.

Which worked, since Friday was Halloween.

Saturday morning, Dumbledore had invited them for tea in his office directly after breakfast and they spent a good portion of their morning there. After that, they did their usual lap around the grounds, soaking up the fresh air. Although, this time around, there was a lot more pausing to snog than anything else. Not that either of them seemed to mind.

After dinner, Draco had declined Riddle's invite to their meeting, choosing to ignore the flare of anger of rejection that came from the young Dark Lord. Instead, he had taken Hermione's hand and led her towards the seventh floor for the Room of Requirement. When they stepped inside, he was surprised to find that he had been the one to conjure the Gryffindor common room.

It was well after curfew when they found themselves curled up in front of the fire together. He had some cushions propped up between his back and the coffee table and Hermione's back was pressed against his front, his legs caging hers as they stretched towards the fireplace. He had his arms around her waist and his chin resting on the top of her head. Her hands were resting on top of his arms, lightly tracing obscure patterns along his skin.

They had read for a bit, worked on some assignments, snogged, and then moved to the fire to talk when she got tired of the couch. "If you could have any job, what would it be?" she asked.

"I _can_ have any job," he chuckled.

He was pretty sure she rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it from behind her. "A job that you actually worked for, Draco. Humor me."

"Potions," he replied after a moment of consideration. "Every year, Mum would buy me the latest brewing kit for my birthday. It was the only thing I ever asked for. Snape used to supply the ingredients and teach me what he could. No matter how many times he called me insolent and unteachable, he always came back to try anyway."

He smiled into her hair at the memories of his godfather. Devout follower of the Dark Lord or not, he was good to Draco.

"Would you work for the Ministry or open your own apothecary?" she asked, her voice a little off at the candid way he spoke. He was sure it was as strange for her as it was for him that the people they knew held very different roles in each of their lives.

"I think I would want to create potions. Or even expand upon ancient ones." She hummed in approval and shifted a little, her bum brushing against the seat of his pants. "What about you?" he asked.

"When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian," she admitted. "A healer for animals in the Muggle world," she added, sensing that he might not be familiar with the term.

"Of course."

"But then I realized I was afraid of reptiles, particularly snakes."

He chuckled. "Seems like you got over that one."

She laughed along with him and drew her knees up. His eyes followed the way her skirt crept up her thighs, exposing most of her body. If she had only shifted a fraction more… "But when I learned I was a witch, I didn't know what I wanted to be. There were so many options; too many to learn about. Then it seemed like there might not even be a future to plan so I-"

"Hey," he interrupted, squeezing his arms around her tighter, placing a kiss into her temple. "That's not playing along," he teased, trying to keep the mood light.

She sighed and shifted again. "I want to teach. I want to make sure that future generations have all the information and learn the things that matter. I never want anyone to forget what happened and everyone should know it was worth fighting for."

"I know what's worth fighting for, Hermione. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it."

"Draco-"

He held her tight as she tried to break free of his hold and turn to face him. He needed to finish what he had to say and he couldn't do it if she looked at him. "And when we get out of here, no matter what happens, I will keep fighting. For you. You can forget if you want to, but I can't. I won't."

She had gone still in his arms at his confession. Any other time he would have wished he could immediately take it back, but not this time. If he didn't think it would scare her away, he would say it over and over again until he had no air left in his lungs.

But he wished she would say _something_.

"I can't forget either," she whispered, her voice so quiet he thought he imagined it.

She twisted in his arms enough so that when she tilted her head back, he could brush his lips over hers. As he did, he detached one of his arms from around her and slid it down her body. She gasped into his mouth when his fingers grazed over core and he groaned right back at how soaked she was already. He waved his hand and her knickers disappeared into thin air. She spread her hips wider and he ran the length of his middle finger through her folds.

Her hips arched off the ground as he coated his fingers in her arousal, teasing her pulsing clit with the barest of touches. She pulled her lips from his to keep from craning her neck too much and let her head fall back on his shoulder. He reached up with his other hand to draw her hair over one shoulder and then slid it under her jumper to knead her breast; his middle finger plunging inside her body at the same time his lips dipped to her neck.

Her breathy moans filled the air as her body came alive under his touch. Her breasts felt fuller with her arousal and he rolled her nipples between his fingers, loving the way they pebbled at his touch. She made him rock hard when her hand stole down to join his at her core. Her index finger joined his middle and after a few pumps, he withdrew, leaving her behind to pleasure herself.

Out of curiosity, he brought his hand up and nearly came as her mouth opened readily to lap up the slick she had coated him with. He growled and nipped at her neck before moving his hand back down. He reinserted his finger alongside hers and they fell into sync as they worked her body into a frenzy. "Touch your clit," he demanded against her neck. She nodded and moved her finger to her bundle of nerves, keeping the same pace she had inside her body. He added his index finger and she began bucking her hips erratically. "Come for me."

"_Draco, _I… I want…"

"What do you want, Hermione?"

"I…" she trailed off as she moaned again, her rear coming off the floor forcing his fingers in deeper. "I want you."

"I'm right here."

She shook her head as her hips landed back on the floor, grinding against his length. "No. Inside me. I'm ready."

He paused and she whined in frustration, not stopping her assault on her clit. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Gods, Draco_, please_! Don't stop."

He picked up the pace and crooked his fingers as much as he could at that angle, his tongue flicking at her earlobe to mimic what she was doing to her clit. It wasn't long before she was crying out and calling his name like a mantra, her thighs clamping together to stop any further movement.

Slowly, she removed her hand from her body and parted her legs so he could do the same. He vanished the rest of their clothes and carefully turned her to face him and then pulled her over his lap so that her knees were on either side of his hips. She leaned forward, one hand on the back of his head, the other cupping his face, and captured his lips with hers.

Careful not to hurt her, he reached between them for his cock and brushed it through her slick folds. When he was thoroughly coated, he positioned himself at her entrance and pulled his lips from hers, their foreheads resting against the others. "I'm ready," she assured him again.

He nodded and moved to kiss her again. As their mouths moved as one, he tried to put the rest of what he had meant to say into their kiss. That he was truly sorry for everything over the past seven years; every slur he had hurled her way, every action. Everything. She braced herself by tightening her hold on him when she felt him push up and when she pulled away to inhale sharply, he pressed into her.

There was a strangled cry that escaped her lips as he eased himself inside of her. He felt the barrier of her maidenhood and knew once he pushed past it, the worst would be over. Her body jerked when he did and she sank the rest of the way down on him. He stilled for a moment, letting her adjust to him, not wanting to hurt her. He ran his hands up and down her back, hoping that it helped her in any way.

When she began to relax around him, she brushed her lips over his again and nodded. He kissed her back and then reached down to grab her hips and pull her up slightly, holding her up just enough so that he could begin to move in and out of her at an agonizingly slow pace. Her body began to tremble around his and before long, she was the one moving her hips, lifting and settling herself down on him instead.

She pulled back slightly, both of her hands falling to his shoulders for purchase as she rode him like they had been doing this all along. He kept one hand on her hip to steady her while the other paid attention to her breasts in turn. He stared up at her, marveling at the way she looked while she rode him.

Her hair was wild like the day they had ridden the broom around the Quidditch pitch. With the light of the fire behind her, it shimmered like a mane of wildfire. He stared at her; all sense of time and space lost to him. In that moment, she truly was the Golden Girl. She was made of pure flames and she was burning him alive.

He watched as her face transformed from the girl he had known into the woman she had grown to be. One that was experiencing distant realms of oblivion and reaching new heights among the stars. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She collapsed forward in her aftermath and with his head cradled between her breasts, he buried himself deep within the inferno that was Hermione Granger and came so hard he thought he lost himself in the void and would never come back. Afraid that if he did, he would wake to find that this had all been a dream. He vowed right then and there that he would do anything to atone for every bad thing he had done in the past; that he would never repeat any of it so long as it wasn't a dream.

And when he opened his eyes, the universe granted his wish. He could see it in Hermione's eyes as she looked down at him with an array of emotions. This was definitely not a dream. She was here. She was real. And he wasn't ever letting her go.

* * *

_**Wednesday, 29 October 1944**_

When Hermione woke Sunday morning, it took her a moment to remember where she was. The first thing she saw when her eyes opened was the fire still going strong in the hearth. It was a few more heartbeats before she realized she was in the Room of Requirement and not in the actual Gryffindor common room. Which was good considering she and Draco weren't wearing anything and their bodies were wrapped intimately around one another.

Her body ached with a soreness she had never encountered before, but it wasn't unbearable. Images of the night before came to surface and she shuddered. When she shifted to try and break free of his hold to relieve the sting in her bladder, Draco muttered his grievances into her hair and tightened his hold on her.

Eventually he had let her go and she returned to him before getting dressed just like she promised, spending most of Sunday wrapped up in one another as if they didn't have anywhere else to be. They only emerged when their stomachs refused to do anything but growl and made way to the Great Hall as it was close to dinner time anyway.

The rest of Sunday and the two days that followed practically flew by. And she had been so wrapped up in the newfound closeness of her relationship with Draco, that she had nearly forgotten Wednesday was the night of the New Moon and she was meeting Riddle then instead of Friday.

When Wednesday came around, she had asked Riddle to meet at nine again and he had agreed. Instead of going to the Room of Requirement with Draco first, she told him she would go there afterwards. And when the day came, he walked her to the base of the Astronomy Tower and kissed her goodbye before taking his leave towards the secret room.

Riddle was there before her again. This time, he had his notes out and was writing something down when she stepped off the landing. He looked up at her and she nodded in greeting. She set up her stuff next to him and they spent the first ten minutes of their meeting jotting down notes of their Astronomy project. Then they had repacked their stuff so they could begin their other project.

"Have you finished reading the books?" he asked.

She nodded. "I've made notes of the things that seem interesting enough to pursue further."

"What have you picked?" he asked.

She shoved a cluster of curls behind her ear and sighed. "I, uh…I couldn't pick three."

His brow quirked slightly and she saw his eyes lighten a bit with amusement. "How many did you pick?"

The prospect of her being so readily agreeable to picking more than his designated number of topics to discuss changed his mood. Gone was the Riddle who had threatened to make her kill Malfoy if she disobeyed him. In his stead was the Riddle that met her in the secret passage by Potion's class; ready to finish her off.

"One," she replied, watching an array of thoughts dance in his eyes before his lips turned down with disappointment.

There was a very long pause between them before he pushed off the wall and took a step towards her. "I had really hoped you had learned not to-"

"I want to learn about Horcruxes," she interrupted, taking the risk in doing so.

The way he sneered at her made her shiver. "So that when you manage to return home, you will have even more information on how to destroy them?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. She worried at her bottom lip for a minute. She held his gaze, took a deep breath, and said, "I want to make one."

* * *

When Hermione joined Draco at the Room of Requirement that night, the door was still there, but this time, when Hermione turned the handle, it was unlocked.


	36. Chapter 36

**THIRTY-SIX**

_**Friday, 31 October 1944**_

To both of their disappointments, though Hermione hadn't been very hopeful to begin with, they were still stuck in the past. While the door had been unlocked, it led to nowhere. It was just a door frame in the middle of the room with nothing behind it. They had both stepped through the opening just to be sure, but all in all, the door was more like a prop for a stage than one of any real use. So they both resigned to the fact that they would try again in November and made their way back down to the dungeons for the night.

Since Friday was Halloween, all classes had been reduced to no more than half an hour and were redistributed to commence before lunch. After lunch, the Great Hall closed its doors and the staff began transforming it into the space they would be using for their celebration later that evening. Hermione was barely able to say goodbye to Draco before her roommates whisked her off to their dorm so the four of them could get ready for the night.

Hermione did her best to keep up with their chatting and the gossip, but more often than not, one of them would have to snap their fingers at her to pull her out of her thoughts of Draco and their night in the Room of Requirement. At that point, she would blush profusely and field off any questions they asked with vague answers.

What really saved her from having to divulge that secret was the fact that Agnes had just started dating a Hufflepuff named Darnell. With her and Draco being old news, the girls were more focused on the new stuff. And it was nice to actually talk to them when the conversation was centered on herself. She would definitely miss these girls if she and Draco ever made it back home.

She had elected to get ready last, so when her turn came about, she was more than ready to hurry so she could see Draco again. The realization that all she wanted to do was be by his side stole her breath away. Never in a million years did she ever think something like that would be possible. If anything, she had always thought the exact opposite.

Too caught up in the memories of his touch; the way his hands felt kneading her breasts, or gripping at her hips, the way he felt buried deep inside her body. The way he looked up at her with the firelight gleaming in his grey eyes and the fringe of his blond locks completely unkempt from having her fingers in it. The way his eyes burned a hole into heart so he could bury a part of him inside of that too.

No, there was no way she was going to be able to forget any of this when they made it back.

She would fight for him too.

Hermione came out of her thoughts when her roommates forced her to spin around towards the floating mirror so she could see the final look that night. She had never seen herself quite like this before. It reminded her of the way she had looked when they helped her get ready for her date with him nearly a month ago now. Only this time, everything was much more elegant and-

Pureblood.

She gulped at the sight of herself, unsure exactly how to feel. In another life, had she been born into the elite status of a prominent Pureblood family, this was how she would have looked all the time. With her hair perfectly tamed and swept loosely off to one side. Her dress was a deep royal blue, almost navy, with little draping sleeves that fell off the shoulder with a sweetheart neckline. Just under the bust was a cluster of silver that circled the whole dress and then shot down towards the skirt that fell mid-calf; like shooting stars.

They had kept her makeup simple, but even so, she barely recognized herself. She had definitely put on weight since traveling back in time so she was no longer gaunt and malnourished, but the way they had contoured her face made her look even more like a pixie with sharp, delicate features. Her eyes had just enough color on them to make them appear larger and played up the honey in the chocolate. Her lips were a soft red and painted in a way that shaped her mouth into a heart.

The final touches came from Gertrude who had a little silver headband that she placed at the crown of Hermione's head. It was bewitched to mimic shooting stars to match the ones on her dress and it made her hair shimmer with an ethereal glow.

"Should we place bets on how long before we can't find you two?" Kalista teased, giving her a nudge and a wink.

She blushed, grateful for the pink pigment already on her cheeks. "Give me some credit, will you?" she teased back. "I think I can control myself."

"I'm sure you can," Agnes said, her smile deceptively innocent. "But there's no way Draco can. I have half a mind to throw myself at you."

Hermione stared at her with wide eyes for a moment and then the four of them burst into laughter. The three of them separated to grab what they needed, giving Hermione one last look at herself in the mirror. Her stomach tightened as her eyes swept down her reflection. Draco would definitely appreciate this look, but she wasn't this person. She wasn't a Pureblood.

She could remember their time here all she wanted, but in the light of day, when they returned home, would he be able to handle the fact that they were of two different worlds? If Voldemort was destroyed in the end, would Purebloods put aside their hatred and accept her or was it just a false victory? Would anything really change?

She gripped her forearm tightly and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and stepping away from the mirror.

* * *

As usual, the Great Hall was perfectly decked out for the holiday. Bats flew through the air, winding among the hundreds, if not thousands of candles floating above them. The ceiling was betwitched to look like the night sky; full of twinkling stars and constellations. There were buffet tables lining the perimeter along with drink stations and a few tables here and there to sit. Where the teachers normally ate there were instruments charmed to play themselves, filling the halls with haunting melodies; the center of the hall left open for dancing and mingling.

When Hermione was finally able to tear her eyes away from the décor, her gaze fell upon Draco staring at her with awe from across the room. She smiled at him and swallowed hard as his eyes dropped to the floor and slowly dragged their way back up to her. The heat of his gaze was tangible, even from this distance.

And all her worry from a moment ago disappeared as he crossed the space between them, his eyes darkening in hunger.

There was no hesitation when one of his hands cupped the back of her head, the other on her waist; pulling her close. His lips sought hers without pretense. His kiss was full of unspoken promises. Of apologies and future declarations. It was akin to the one they had shared when their bodies joined as one.

She broke the kiss when she felt heat coiling through her. She cleared her throat and thanked her lucky stars her roommates had charmed her makeup to stay in place and not smear. He stepped back and smiled sheepishly at her, his eyes alight with mischief. "You look…"

"Cat got your tongue?" she asked when his voice trailed off.

His smile was devilish. "More like a lion."

She canted her head. "Still a cat."

He chuckled and brushed his lips over hers again. "You look beautiful, Hermione."

Her skin prickled with gooseflesh and she shivered. She would never get used to hearing him say things like that. Especially beautiful. She would always equate that word with the first time he said it; the day she had shown him the scars on her chest. She cleared her throat and then swallowed hard. "You look quite dashing as well."

She was so used to seeing him in black and white that he looked almost foreign in the shade of blue that matched her dress. He even had a few shooting stars here and there on his blazer. She quite liked him in blue.

"Drink?" he asked.

"Please," she replied and his let his hand still on her waist dip lower to the small of her back as he led her to the refreshments.

"It's probably spiked, so be careful, yeah?" he said as he filled a cup of punch for her and then one for himself.

They stood off to the side, watching as more and more people arrived. By the time they had mostly finished their drinks, Hermione wondered if his eyes had even strayed from her at all. "You're staring."

"Yes."

She laughed at his response. "That's rude, you know."

"I like what I see."

She rolled her eyes and finished the last of her punch.

"I'll like it even more once that dress goes."

Hermione nearly choked on her punch and smacked her hand on Draco's arm. Her eyes darted around the room and then fixed him with a warning stare. "Just for that, I think the dress might stay on all night," she teased.

He canted his head to the side, a wistful look on his face. "Actually, it might-"

"Draco!" she hissed.

He laughed with her and reached for her free hand with his. "But really, Hermione. I wasn't able to look at you much at the Yule Ball, nor was I able to tell you how beautiful you were back then, so excuse me if I make up for it now."

Her heart stopped beating and her lungs burned from the sudden loss of air. "I'm surprised you even noticed me."

"How could I not notice you?" he asked. "Everyone in that damned room noticed you. Granted, that might have been because you managed to get that nest on your head you call hair under control," he said and threw up his hands when she moved to hit him.

"I didn't really notice you though," she said, deflated.

"Why would you have? You were so engrossed in Krum and honestly, I'm glad you didn't. I was an absolute git and didn't deserve even a fleeting glance from you."

"That's true," she said without missing a beat and he glared at her for a moment, making her smile. "Your words, not mine," she reminded him.

"Come on," he said, plucking her cup from her hand and tossing it into the bin with his. "Let's eat before all the good stuff runs out." She reached for his hand and let him guide her towards the food so they could load their plates with all of their favorites.

* * *

When they had eaten more than their fair of food, mostly sweets, she led them towards her roommates. They lost themselves in conversation for a long while before Kalista let out a shriek at the beginning of a new song and pulled her onto the dance floor despite her plethora of protests. By the end of the song, she had managed to let loose a little and only left the floor long enough to pull Draco back onto it with her.

When there was a lull in the music to recharm the instruments, the group left the dance floor in favor of refreshments. They had even been joined by Riddle's followers, but not Riddle himself. Hermione was having too much fun to really care where he was and put all of her attention into Draco who was clearly doing the same with her.

That was how they spent most of the night, going back and forth between dancing and then hanging out with their classmates off to the side. At one point, Kalista had pulled Hermione aside to ask if she could dance with Draco. She had babbled incessantly as she tried to assure her that she wasn't going to try anything; she just needed a break from her date and a chance to get to know him better. Hermione had laughed and when the song changed, watched as Draco shot her a confused look over his shoulder as Kalista dragged him out to the center of the room.

Hermione smiled as she watched the two of them interact. They were awkward at first, but whatever Kalista had said made Draco bellow with laughter and then they seemed relaxed after that. So much so, that when the next song started, Kalista held up a finger in askance and Hermione nodded, waving at them to continue.

And even as the next song was mellow in nature and Draco took Kalista into his arms, Hermione inhaled sharply with the realization of just how much she trusted him.

She wasn't able to dwell on anything for long as Riddle stepped into her line of vision. He held out his hand and tipped his head to the side, the look in his eye informing her it wasn't really a request that she accept. Not wanting to cause a scene or risk the punishment should she decline; she placed her hand in his and followed him to the dance floor.

Once they were tucked away in the crowd, he dropped his right hand to her left hip; slightly lower than it should be, but still high up enough a passing glance wouldn't notice. His other hand reached for hers and laced their fingers together, holding them up between them as they moved to the music. She was glad that no one was doing formal dances; that they were all just swaying with their partners accordingly.

He said nothing to her for what felt like an eternity. She kept her gaze level with his, not sure what to what to expect. It was all she could do not to start tapping her fingers with nervous energy where her hands rested on his right shoulder. When she was sure he wasn't going to say anything, he went and proved her wrong. "How is your Legilimency?" he asked.

"Non-existent," she replied almost immediately.

"Have you ever tried it?"

She shook her head. "I only just started learning Occlumency from Draco when we arrived here," she told him. "I've read about the mechanics, but I've never tried it. Aside from you, Draco's the only other one that's used it on me."

She tried to discern the reason he would ask her about the ability, but came up short.

"I will teach you."

"On who?" she asked, worried he might force her to try on Draco and then make him forget he was part of the lesson.

"Myself."

That wasn't what she had been prepared to hear. She gave a slow nod. "May I ask why?"

"The best way to gain knowledge of your chosen topic is to see one being created. As school is in session, it would not be possible to do so. That leaves memories of their creation. Which, as you know, I happen to have."

Her lips parted slightly and she blinked at him in awe and a little fear. She knew Legilimency was an intimate affair; something she experienced first hand every time she felt his presence in her mind. And she wouldn't just be seeing him create horcruxes; she would be witnessing murders. "Why not a Pensieve? There's one in the Headmaster's office."

Logic told her it would be better that way. The way Harry described it, using the device was like watching a movie. You could feel the emotions and it felt immersive, but it wasn't as in depth as two minds melding into one. She wondered if he hadn't offered using the device because he didn't know it was there.

"Once the memories are extracted, they cannot be put back. I will not risk having those out in the open for someone to discover."

"Oh," she replied. She made a mental note to research that more. "Have you ever had someone in your mind before?" she asked.

"No."

Something flickered in his eyes and she felt his hand on her waist dip a fraction lower. Her eyes slid past his shoulder and she stiffened at the sight of Draco. He was watching them with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. When their gazes met, his eyes softened with concern and she smiled as best she could, nodding her head in a way that she hoped conveyed that she was fine. If he got the message, she wasn't sure because another couple waltzed between them, severing their eye contact.

"When?" she asked, meeting Riddle's eyes once more.

"This week," he replied, the song coming to an end.

Her throat went dry, making it hard to swallow, but she nodded as the last few notes sounded through the Great Hall. Couples started to break apart around them.

"This week," she repeated, her mind spinning.

He was reluctant to let her go; she could tell by the way he held onto her until the next song began to play. The moment she was free of his touch, she found herself being wrapped up in Draco as he slung an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "Thank you for the dance, Miss Granger," Riddle said, inclining his head to her before taking his leave, not sparing a single glance at Draco.

"Ready to get out of here?" Hermione asked, watching as Draco's eyes followed Riddle until he was out of sight. Draco only nodded and then grabbed for her hand before pulling her through the crowd and out of the Great Hall.

She had expected him to lead her towards the main stairs in the middle of the castle so they could go to the Room of Requirement, but he surprised her by heading to the dungeons and subsequently into the Slytherin common room. And he didn't stop there either, instead, cast the necessary charms on the corridor leading towards his dorm and continued towards it.

Once he had pulled her inside his room, he pinned her between himself and the door, his lips landing on hers roughly as if devouring her here would mark his territory. For a brief moment, her anger flared as she realized that was his intent. Her anger gave way to worry as she thought of Riddle returning to the room and she was still there. Would he lash out at either of them?

She shouldn't care about Riddle. She shouldn't be worried about what he would think of her sleeping with her boyfriend. She shouldn't be wondering what would happen if he returned to his room to find her and Draco in the throes of passion.

But she did.

She just wasn't sure how she felt knowing that she did.

As Draco's lips scorched a trail of fire down her throat, she switched her brain off and reached out to pull him closer to her. They were a flurry of movement as they rid each other of their clothes on the way to his bed. Once beneath him on the mattress, he pulled the canopy securely around them, but if he cast any other wards or silencing charms, she never knew.

And as he buried himself deep into her body over and over again throughout the night, she found that she didn't care at all.


	37. Chapter 37

**THIRTY-SEVEN**

_**Tuesday, 4 November 1944**_

In the library with Draco on Tuesday, Hermione was hunched over one of the books Riddle had given her. This was her third time reading it through and she was making notes. Beside her, Draco was leafing through a book of his own choosing. However, as time passed, she realized he wasn't actually looking at the book, he was watching her. She was just too engrossed in the topic at hand to let it bother her.

When the bell tolled throughout the castle, signaling his need to depart, she closed her book and watched him pack his stuff. "Have fun in class," she said.

"I am taking you back out on a broom before the snow starts to fall."

"We'll see," she replied with a grin as she tilted her face up so he could kiss her goodbye.

"Or we can always go _in_ the snow."

She gave him a playful shove. "See you after class," she said and watched as he walked away.

When he was gone, she went back to reading. The chapter that currently captured her attention was on curses. She wasn't new to curses by any means, but it was interesting to see the text on them written as if they were a book for charms. It gave her a deeper understanding of the mechanics behind spellwork in general.

Engrossed in her book, she didn't notice Riddle's approach. It wasn't until she lifted her head to jot down a note that she jumped at the sight of him sitting across from her. She placed a hand over her racing heart and sat back in her chair. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Perhaps you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"You could have given me a heart attack."

"Then I suppose all my problems would be solved."

She stared at him, her lips quirking up into the beginnings of a smile for a brief second before she sobered and cleared her throat. "Are you teaching me today?" she asked, looking around at the handful of students at their own tables around them. "Here?"

"Just the fundamentals," he said, producing a book from his bag and sliding it across the table for her. "It should not take more than a few sessions for you to grasp that much. Reading will help."

"Where do you find these books?" she asked, her fingers gently running over the well-worn leather.

"Do you really want to know?"

She paused for a moment and then looked up at him, her hands folding gently on top of her latest read. "Not really, no."

He inclined his head. "What do you know of Legilimency?"

In truth, she didn't know as much, but she never got to tell him that as both Draco and Kerus approached their table. She did a double take at the sight of them and tried not to react to the fact that Draco was frowning at Riddle's presence. "Is it lunch already?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Professor McFadden got called away from the castle. She'll be out all week. Family emergency," Draco replied as he slipped into the chair next to her and Kerus next to Riddle. "I thought you guys met on Thursdays?"

Hermione waited for Riddle to say something, but found very quickly that he was prepared to let her do the talking. She held up the book he had given her. "He found something interesting for our project and shared it with me. I had just mentioned this book as well."

Riddle gave Draco a cold smile before looking at Hermione again. "You should be able to finish that before Thursday I presume?"

She nodded.

"We should probably work on that essay, Mate," Kerus said, looking at Draco.

Draco's gaze slowly shifted from Riddle to Kerus with a nod. "I guess we'll all just go about our studying then."

Hermione moved her leg under the table to brush along Draco's and he reached for her hand. "What's your project about?" she asked them.

Kerus' gaze flickered towards her and the tips of his mouth curved into a tentative smile. "Do you really want to know or are you just being polite? Because this shit is boring."

"I wouldn't say it's boring, it's just rudimentary."

"Rudimentary?" Draco fired back, dropping her hand. "Tell me how you really feel," he teased.

She smiled at him. "You know how much I _love_ Divination. Ancient Runes just feels like a different version; like Tarot cards versus crystal balls. It doesn't matter how to try, you'll never be able to see the future."

"Unless you happen to travel to the past. Then I imagine you know the future quite well."

Hermione and Draco turned their attention to Riddle who was looking at both of them with a trace of smugness. "But only to a certain point," Hermione countered. "And technically, they still wouldn't be predicting the future, they would just be citing events that had happened up to the point which they traveled back. They won't have anything but facts. They still won't know what to expect when they return."

"Unless they change the future by doing something reckless in the past."

"Not if time is linear."

Riddle smirked at her. "By your own logic, who is to really say the future cannot be changed just because it is linear? If no one knows what that future is. Too much of a grey area."

Hermione stilled as the meaning of his words sank in. Could she really change the future if she was able to master Grey magic? He simply inclined his head as if he had read her thoughts. For all she knew, he had, but she hadn't felt the brush of his presence in her mind.

"So you could time travel without any risks?" Kerus asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"Nothing we do is ever without risk," Hermione said, making sure not to look at Riddle.

"And some of us take more risks than others it would seem," Riddle said as he stood up. "On that note, I shall see the lot of you later," he added and took his leave of the table.

Kerus cleared his throat and rummaged through his bag as Draco rounded on her. She smiled and leaned over to brush her lips across his cheek. "You guys do your thing; I'm about to get lost in a book."

He stared at her for a moment and then decided to just go with it. While the two boys worked on their project, Hermione cracked open her new book, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and dove head first into the fundamentals of Legilimency.

* * *

_**Friday, 7 November 1944**_

Aside from Kerus and Draco being present in the library on Thursday instead of in Ancient Runes again, the rest of the week had gone by pretty much the same as it always did. Hermione was grateful that Draco never brought up the fact that Riddle was there with her on Tuesday. She knew it was wrong to keep something like that from him, but knowing it was for his benefit, to keep him safe; she would continue to do so.

By the time she left the common room on Friday for the Astronomy Tower, her guilt had been replaced with curiosity. Maybe a little fear if she was being honest. While she wasn't keen on witnessing the loss of innocent lives, she was too intrigued by the process of creating a Horcrux to try and figure out an alternative path.

Not to mention the fact that Riddle's decision to allow her access to his mind was rather alluring.

Curiosity would definitely be her downfall at some point.

"I had hoped we would have been able to progress more before tonight," he said the moment she appeared in the tower. "Professor McFadden's family emergency was ill-timed."

"Is there ever a good time for an emergency?" she asked, placing her bag near the entrance before moving to stand beside him at the railing.

His head tilted down as he hummed his response, signaling the end of that conversation. "What did you learn from the text I gave you?"

The part of her that would always make her hand fly in the air as high as she could reach with the need to be right and hear praise took over immediately. "That the mind isn't easy to read. That it takes a large amount of skill to sift through thoughts. Minds are more like a stream of consciousness. Feelings are easier to come across than memories. If someone looks into the mind of another without any training, there is a risk of damage being done to both minds as it's harder to get back out than it is to get in."

"You will not have to worry about that, Hermione," he told her. "I am equally skilled in Legilimency and Occlumency. You will only see what I deem necessary. You might be in my head, but I assure you, I will still have control there."

That had been her assumption from the get-go. Regardless, she had no intention of wandering around in his mind. She was glad to know that even her curiosity had a limit. "What I'm still not quite sure I understand is the how. I know what it feels like to have someone enter your mind, but how do you…" she waved her hands at her head, "_do _it?"

"How are you with wandless magic?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Okay," she replied. She knew that it came naturally for her. She had been told by numerous people over the years, Dumbledore and McGonagall included, that they had never encountered anyone that could wield magic as effortlessly as her. Even now, she blushed a little just thinking about it and cast her eyes down.

She stiffened as his fingers lightly grasped her chin, tilting her face up. She was surprised to find anger had darkened his eyes. "Stop underestimating yourself. You will never amount to anything if you continue to be modest." He paused, his fingers tightening ever so slightly. "You are as powerful as you are brilliant, Hermione. You should own it. You could have the world at your feet in no time."

"I don't want the world," she whispered.

His lips turned up into a semblance of a smile as he relinquished his hold on her, his hand slowly falling back into place at his side. She couldn't help the shiver that crept up her spine or the way her heart skipped at the loss of his touch. "I will ask you again. How are you with wandless magic?"

"I'm rather good at it," she answered. It was the best she would be able to give him as she wasn't one to boast her accomplishments and magical prowess. It wasn't in her nature.

He inclined his head at her, only slightly less put off by this answer than her last one. "When you cast a spell without your wand, do you feel the pull of magic from within?"

She thought about the times she had used wandless magic. It was like a flutter in her abdomen or like taking a deep breath. It just depended on the spell. She nodded confidently. "Yes, I'm familiar with it."

"Legilimency is similar. Just a summons of your magic and a push outwards so it bends to your will. I find it is always easier when looking someone directly in the eye. Minds are more receptive that way. Are you ready to try?"

She swallowed hard, but nodded yes. He held her gaze and gave her a nod, signaling he was ready for her to try. She wet her lips and whispered, "_Legilimens_."

Hermione could feel a part of herself leave her body and cross the distance between them before slipping into Riddle's mind. She was immediately assaulted with darkness. It wrapped around her like a snake, coiling until she felt restricted from every angle, and then it was pulling her down into the depths of despair. She tried to call out for help, but her vocal cords were as immobile as the rest of her. As the darkness threatened to tear her in two, Hermione closed her eyes and gave in to it.

A sudden jolt to her system left her breathless and when lips parted to greedily gulp for air, she opened her eyes to find herself on a floor. When the spots at the edge of her vision disappeared with the reintroduction of oxygen, she sat back on her knees and looked up to see Riddle. He was standing in front of her with panic in his eyes; his skin a paler shade than she had ever seen it before. He extended a hand to her, one that she took right away, and let him guide her to her feet.

"That was my mind's natural defenses to the intrusion," he explained. "I thought I had it under control."

She nodded and exhaled, her breath shaking on its way out. "I'm alright," she muttered.

He nodded, the panic subsiding. She wondered if he knew she could see it. If being in his mind made it harder for him to control his emotions. "Which one would you like to see?" he asked, regaining his composure.

"The ring," she replied. She had no intentions of seeing the Basilisk ever again. And knowing Myrtle as a ghost would make seeing her murder that much harder to watch.

If he was expecting her to choose the diary, he didn't say. Instead, he laced their fingers together, calling attention to the fact that she hadn't pulled away. Unsure of what was to come, she squeezed his hand and stepped closer. And then she was swallowed up by a rush of images.

She watched as Tom Riddle from the previous summer, only a few short months ago in this time, approached a home. It was like watching a movie that skipped and snagged in places. One moment Riddle was at the bottom of a hill, the next, he was inside the home. There were voices and vicious laughter. The home they entered was old and decrepit, falling apart at the seams and covered in filth. A man sat in a chair looking as vile as the interior. There was a skip in time and Riddle was pulling the ring from the man in the chair along with his wand.

Then they were inside of another home. There was another man, one that looked like Riddle in a way. She wondered if this was his father. She was answered by the strong feeling of hatred pressing down on her for a moment. She flinched and squeezed his hand. The hatred lessened. A conversation sounded around her, but she could only pick up on the tone. Then a flash of green light, followed by a body on the floor, staring at her with cold, lifeless eyes.

Everything slowed then, as the memory of Riddle filled the space. He stood over the body of his father and Hermione heard herself gasp as she saw him take out his own wand and point it at the center of his chest. There was a pained expression on his face and his lips moved in rapid succession as he uttered a spell. A small orb of black and red appeared at the tip of the wand and Hermione could hear the agony in Riddle's voice as he continued the spell. Could see the way his eyes glowed red in the otherwise dark room.

Carefully, he held the wand upright, the piece of his soul hovering over it. He then set the ring he had taken from the other man beside the lifeless body. With a level of control Hermione couldn't even begin to comprehend, she watched as Riddle directed his soul shard to the ring. It fought and she could see the exertion on his face as he chanted louder, nearly gritting through his teeth until finally it gave way and absorbed into the material of the ring.

Hermione closed her eyes and turned away. She swallowed around a tight throat and pressed her lips together to keep them from quivering. She had expected that witnessing the murder would get to her. It wouldn't have mattered if it was the first death she saw or the hundredth; she would always be affected. What she hadn't planned on was seeing what it took to carve out a piece of one's soul. She had imagined it to be darker than the void his mind had tried to drag her into at first. She hadn't expected her to feel… Was it sympathy?

She gasped slightly as she felt herself falling, only to realize that she was back in her own mind. She reached out for the first thing she could reach to keep herself steady when the transition slammed her back to reality. When the dizziness subsided, she tried opening her eyes. After a few blinks, she realized the thing she had grabbed was Riddle's shirt. She meant to let go and step back, but the look in his eyes kept her rooted in place.

Gently, his hand lifted to cup her face, his thumb stroking her cheek as it had the last time he had held her this way. She swallowed hard as he leaned in and went still as his lips brushed over hers. It wasn't the first time he had kissed her, but it was the first time she knew it was him. By the time her heart beat again, he was shoving her back against the wall near the railing of the tower. His hand sank back into her hair while the other had found her waist, his fingers brushing against her exposed skin. His lips were greedy, dripping in desire as they moved against hers.

She knew what it felt like to have someone in her head. Each time Riddle and Draco had left, she had always felt a desire to keep their connection going. She imagined since Riddle had never let anyone in before, that he was probably feeling that a thousand-fold. Potentially more since he had not only let her into his mind, but literally let her see a piece of his soul.

It was his hands tugging at her clothes that snapped her back to reality. She forced her head to the side, breaking his kiss, but he only moved his lips to her neck and continued his ministrations. "Riddle, stop." It had come out like a whisper; one she was sure he didn't hear. "Riddle, I can't-" His hand stole up her skirt and her words turned into a moan followed by a strangled cry. She pushed at him, but it didn't affect him in the slightest. When his fingers moved to pull aside her knickers, her magic sizzled. "Riddle, _stop_!"

It was as though Hagrid's half-brother had picked him up by the back of his shirt and flung him back a few paces. He landed against the telescope and gripped at the railing to keep himself from falling completely. The look on his face was purely animalistic, as if he had been running on his pure forms of instinct. As if every trace of his humanity was absent.

She sagged against the wall and hugged herself as tight as she could, trembling as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She watched as bit by bit Riddle regained his composure, retreating behind the mask he wore so well. He approached her again and she closed her eyes in fright.

"Please, I-I'll give you _anything_ you want. Just not…not that. Anything else. Just take what you want from my mind. I won't fight you, just…" She continued to plead and beg, sounding less and less coherent with each word she spoke.

She flinched as his hand found its way to her face again. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and fought hard to keep her knees from giving out. Instead of picking up where he had left off, she felt his presence in her mind. Much like their previous encounter, he stayed at the edges, radiating a warmth. Once she relaxed under his touch, she felt it spread forth until the trembling stopped and her breathing calmed. When he removed himself from her mind, she opened her eyes and saw him watching her with a stony expression she couldn't quite read.

"Leave."

She was gone from the Astronomy Tower by the time she took her next breath.


	38. Chapter 38

**THIRTY-EIGHT**

_**Saturday, 8 November 1944**_

Draco had not asked her to Madam Puddifoot's for the November Hogsmeade trip, but he knew they would be going there anyway. They had even planned to spend a good majority of the day there together. When she had expressed wanting some time with her friends, he reluctantly agreed to part ways towards the end of the day to grant her wish.

He knew it was selfish, to want all of her free time to be at his side, but he couldn't help it. All his life, Draco had been possessive by nature. He was never one to share and he never intended to start. Since the night in the Room of Requirement he felt that she belonged to him in a sense that they had become a part of each other.

He hadn't really known the full scale of his possessiveness until he saw Riddle with her on the dance floor on Halloween.

He trusted Hermione completely. If anyone in this world would ever betray him, it would never be her. He knew that with every fiber of his being. He knew that even if he had never gotten to know her this way, she would still never intentionally hurt him. It wasn't in her nature.

But it was in Riddle's.

Since the moment he had laid eyes on Hermione in the common room in September, Riddle hadn't been able to stop looking at her. The way he did made Draco's blood boil with rage. And as time had worn on, Riddle's gaze had only intensified. Every time he felt Riddle in the room, his eyes were on Hermione. However, lately, the looks had gone from fascination to downright predator. It was like watching a cat stalk a mouse, toying with it before it struck.

And no matter how many times or all the different ways he would ask her, she still claimed that there was nothing going on between them. That every time they met in the library without him, during class, or at the Astronomy Tower, they did nothing but keep discussion about their class assignments or the information he wanted from her about his future endeavors.

He believed her when she said it, but he didn't trust it. He didn't trust Riddle to do something and then make her forget that it happened. He kept looking for signs that something was wrong; that he had hurt her mentally or physically, but there was nothing. Which made him glad to a certain degree. No matter what, the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.

So when she had come in from her observation with Riddle the night before, looking a little out of sorts, he knew he was close to snapping. She continued to tell him nothing was wrong, putting on a show of just being tired and cold before slipping down the girls' corridor to her dorm, but he had felt her tremble in his arms.

He had every intention to slice Riddle to pieces with a combination of his wand and his bare hands that night, but his roommate never came back. Even when Draco woke the next morning, he was still alone in the dorm.

Draco showered and dressed faster than he had ever done before and moved to the common room to make sure he was there when Hermione emerged for the day. She had long since stopped using the book to inform him she was coming out of her dorm. The moment she emerged, he ran to her side, drawing her into his arms. She looked as fresh as the new day, but there was still a bit of an edge to her.

They ate breakfast together, walked to Hogsmeade together, and made way to the tea shop first. He ordered the same thing she had had the last time and even prepared it for her the way he remembered her doing so. She smiled when she brought the tea to her lips and hummed in approval after the first sip.

"You remembered," she said, licking her lips.

"You're not the only one with a good memory, you know," he teased.

"Ah, and here I was planning to get you a Remembrall for Christmas." Her eyes flashed as he scowled at her from across the table.

"I definitely have a better memory than Longbottom."

Her smile dissipated and he regretted the mention of her housemate. She waved her hand dismissively and drank more of her tea. At least she didn't break down. It didn't matter how much he cared for her, weeping witches would always make him flounder.

He leaned across the table and extended his hand to her, palm up, pleading with his eyes for her to take it. Her smile brightened again and she placed her palm along his. "Have you ever gone to the theatre?" he asked her.

She nodded excitedly, her eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. "My father loves it, but my mother doesn't. I've been going with him since I can remember. Plays, musicals, operas; you name it, I've seen it." She blushed and shook her head. "Well, anything Muggle anyway. I haven't been to any strictly magical theatre."

"Do you have a favorite?" he asked.

"Phantom of the Opera."

He frowned. "That's not Shakespeare is it?"

The way her laugh spilled past her lips immediately turned his frown upside down. "I take it you're not a fan."

His nose wrinkled in disgust for a moment as he began to rub his thumb on the back of her hand in slow circles. "No. Classic or not, I can't stand it. I like some of the stories, but there is such a thing as overdoing it with the language."

She smiled. "We can debate Shakespeare another time, but no, the Phantom of the Opera is not by him. Andrew Lloyd Webber."

"What's it about?" he asked. It could be about Filch on his most boring day, but he wouldn't care, so long as he got to hear the excitement in her voice as she talked about something she enjoyed. As it was, he continued to massage her hand with his, even moving his other hand across the table to really work his magic. He listened to her every word, his eyes never leaving her face.

"My favorite part is the main song. There's just something so hauntingly beautiful about it."

He motioned for her to give him her other hand and she obliged; whether she realized it or not was beyond him. "We should see it," he said. "When we get back and things settle."

She stiffened and brought her other hand to lay over his. "Draco…"

"I'm serious, Hermione."

She looked around nervously at the other inhabitants of the tea shop. "So am I. We don't know what it will be like when we get back. What if…" She cleared her throat. "What if _he_ wins? Do you really think he's just going to let someone like _me _be with someone like _you_?"

"We can run away together."

Her hands tightened over his and her eyes misted over with tears. "If it comes to that, I'm not leaving anyone behind. I would never be able to live with myself if I abandoned them."

He knew that. He really did. It was one of the reasons he had let himself get so attached to her recently. When she cared about someone, she did everything in her nature to protect them. And she would continue to do so until the end. It was what would get her killed.

"If it came down to it, would you choose them or me?"

She yanked her hands from his and stared at him with glassy eyes and parted lips. He had regretted the question the moment he finished it. He regretted it even more when she shot to her feet and stormed out of the shop, tears streaking down her face. He muttered curses under his breath, dropped two Galleons on the table, and ran after her.

She hadn't gone far. He found her pacing between the tea shop and the building next to it. When she saw him, she stopped moving and wiped tears from her eyes. "Why would you even ask me something like that, Draco?"

"I don't know. It was a stupid question," he said, stopping only when he was able to gather her into his arms.

She pulled out of his grasp and wrapped her arms about herself. "Promise me. Right here, right now. No matter what happens," she said, her voice wavering. "Don't ever make me choose."

He felt cold dread wash over him at her words. He felt like he had been kicked in the gut; as if his breath had been stolen right out of his lungs and he was suffocating. He realized she would never choose him. He felt it like a knife to the throat.

He nodded and reached for her again despite the despair threatening to drown him where he stood. This time, she stayed in his arms and buried her head in his chest. He hated knowing that even though he would do whatever it took to keep her safe, if it ever came down to it, she would choose Potter and everyone else over him.

She would never truly love him.

"You have my word, Hermione," he promised.

He lost track of how much time they stayed wrapped up in one another between the two buildings, but when they separated, it was only so that they could part ways and she could join her friends. Having no desire to find his own housemates, least of all Riddle, Draco wandered aimlessly around Hogsmeade until she sought him out or they returned to the castle for dinner with everyone else.

* * *

The first place he had gone was in search of a drink. He had wandered around until he found a little pub down a path he had never come across before and drank until he couldn't feel the sting of losing to Potter. Again. With Firewhiskey singing in his veins, he stepped back out into the frigid November air and wandered the other shops he had never seen before.

After making a few impulse purchases, one of which was securely tucked away and charmed so nothing would happen to it, he wandered towards the main road again. The day was nearly gone; almost time to head back to the castle if the grumbling of his stomach was any indication of how long they had been in the little village.

There was no sign of Hermione and he wondered if she hadn't just abandoned her roommates and gone back to the castle already. Either way, that's where he was headed. He planned on going straight to the kitchens, eating something warm, and then retreating to his dorm where he would make himself sleep until Monday morning.

But all plans were derailed as Riddle emerged from the bookstore near the mouth of the main road. When Draco saw him, his fists clenched at his sides and his vision nearly blackened with rage. A rage that made his magic spark at his finger tips as Riddle turned a cold smile his way.

"Draco," he greeted. "A strange sight without Miss Granger by your side."

His wand was in his hand and pointed at Riddle by the time he had finished his sentence. "I never want to hear her name come out of your mouth again."

Slowly, Riddle's smile faded away. The look that remained was menacing. His dark grey eyes were nearly black and Draco found himself being sucked into an inky whirlpool of chaos. For a moment, his left forearm stung, but he ignored it. "How else should I address her then, Draco? Would you rather I start calling her Hermione? I never was one for nicknames, but-"

Hearing him say her real name had Draco firing the first curse. The red streak of light narrowly missing Riddle's ear as he ducked in the nick of time. "Do _not_ speak her name. You have no right to it."

"And you do?"

"She. Is. _Mine._" Another curse left his wand and Draco let out an irritated grunt as Riddle dodged it with ease. He still hadn't even so much as drawn his wand or lifted a hand to use magic to defend himself.

"Is she?"

Those two words wrapped around him, swirling inside his mind until he nearly broke. The pain in his forearm bloomed with enough pain to take him to his knees, forcing him to take ragged, uneven breaths. He hadn't felt agony like this since the day he had taken the damn mark. From the look on Riddle's face, Draco knew that he was aware of his hold on his dormmate. He wondered how long Riddle had known.

Just as the pain in his forearm began to subside, a searing pain in his head took over. He cradled his head in his hands as image after image of Hermione and Riddle in various acts of intimacy flashed before his mind's eye. Everything was quick and each image burned as if it would be a permanent fixture at the forefront of his mind.

There was Riddle and Hermione in a dark corridor; his hand lost beneath the waistband of her skirt, her lips parted in pleasure.

Hermione pressed against a bookshelf with Riddle's hand up her jumper.

Hermione on the Astronomy Tower wrapped up around Riddle with her hands on his chest and his up her skirt.

"Are you sure, Draco? She does not act like yours when her and I are alone together."

He tasted blood as he pitched forward, gasping for air on hands and knees at Riddle's feet when the images disappeared and he retreated from his mind. The Dark Lord loved to torture people with images of vicious attacks. Constantly conjuring scenarios just to fuck with people or scare them into submission.

This time, he refused to back down.

He lunged at Riddle like a Muggle, catching him off guard as he brought them both to the ground with limbs flying about in a flurry. They crashed into the main part of the ally and he could hear the gasps and cries of people beginning to notice them. It wasn't long before they scrambled away from each other and turned to magic. Their spells sizzled and snapped through the air, some of them landing on their target, others landing Merlin knew where.

People were yelling at them to stop, but Draco kept pushing. He didn't care if Riddle had already done something to himself that ensured he couldn't be truly killed in this time. He wouldn't get away with leading Draco to believe he had defiled Hermione in that manner. Whether it was true and he had removed those memories from her or if he was just getting a rise from him, it didn't matter. He needed to be stopped.

In the span of a heartbeat, there was a flash of navy and a scream that rent the air in a way that made him ache to his bones as he felt himself being knocked out of the way. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as he crashed into someone and they pushed him back again. He looked towards Riddle again, wand at the ready, spell at the tip of his tongue, but Riddle was no longer taking part in the duel. Instead, he was staring at the body on the ground; horror plain as day on his face.

Draco's felt his own panic wash over him as realization struck. His wand fell out of his hand, clashing on the ground as he rushed forward and sank to his knees. He gathered Hermione into his arms and stared down at her through vision blurred with tears as his trembling hands roamed her to check for injuries.

She wasn't breathing.

Her skin was ashen and cold as ice.

He distantly heard someone cry out for help and wondered if it was himself that was doing it.

There was a flurry of movement as adults from the shops and some of the professors entered the scene. Some of which were Dumbledore and Madam Perth. As they took Hermione from him to rush her back to the castle, Draco went with, unable to recall if Riddle was still present in the crowd.


	39. Chapter 39

**THIRTY-NINE**

_**Saturday, 8 November 1944**_

The sound of screams was like an ever present crescendo around her. Each time they reached their full potential, a pain would seize her body. The tension would snap for exactly one second before the screams began to rise from nothing all over again. She felt winded with each cycle, as if the pain began and ended in her lungs and spread like wildfire throughout her body for the duration of the scream.

When she opened her eyes, Hermione discovered that the screams were her own and the pain was real.

Somewhere in the blur of faces and the blinding pain, she thought she saw Draco. His skin was paler than normal and the concern that etched his face left her panicking along with the pain. But soon he was lost to her as tears clouded her vision and someone tipped a potion to her lips.

She slipped back into the void. Only this time it was peaceful.

* * *

When she woke next, she realized she was in the infirmary by the way that it smelled. It would always have that smell of magic and disinfectant. Almost lemony. She shifted her body and immediately regretted the action as pain lanced through her. She suspected that she was still on a potion or two to lessen the pain given the way her head felt as though it was in a fog and the pain ebbed almost immediately.

She wet her lips before she dared to open her eyes. She had been right; she was definitely in the infirmary. Her eyes immediately went to the doors at the end of the row of beds, half expecting Harry and Ron to burst through at any moment. She sighed, the action causing her lungs to burn and she closed her eyes to concentrate on taking shallow breaths.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Draco stir in his chair next to her bed. He blinked at her in disbelief and then shot to his feet to stand right at her side. He reached out, debating if he should touch her, but reconsidered for fear of hurting her. Instead, he tentatively traced her jaw with his forefinger.

"A-are you alright? Should I fetch Madam Perth?"

"Water?" she asked, her voice croaking from her throat being so dry.

He nodded vigorously and moved out of sight for a moment before producing a small cup and conjuring a straw for her to use. He held the cup for her and watched as she drank a few sips before carefully gesturing for him to take it away. He set it on the cabinet next to the bed and then reached for her hand.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked, his thumb brushing the back of her knuckles lightly.

She frowned for a moment as she tried to recall, but shook her head. Whatever it was, it wasn't good and she was in no rush for it to come flooding back to her. "Are you okay?" she asked him. She hadn't seen more than a few glimpses, but she knew his left eye was blackened.

"I'm fine," he replied, his voice clipped.

She closed her eyes and winced as the memories started to come back little by little. She remembered being in a shop with her roommates looking at little trinkets. Then there was shouting from outside the shop. Someone had yelled that there was a fight and she remembered dropping the item in her hand and bolting out the door.

She could see Draco and Riddle across the way fighting like Muggles in a bar for a moment before spells started flying. She remembered screaming for them to stop, but neither one of them were listening to her. She had her wand out and ready to hex them both into submission, but the look on Riddle's face had stopped her. He was one curse away from his wand shooting green sparks.

As it was, Hermione surged forward without realizing and shoved Draco out of the way, taking the navy curse that was meant for him. She winced on the hospital bed as fresh pain bloomed at her side. The last thing she remembered was how cold the ground had felt when it rose up to meet her.

"Hang on, Hermione," Draco said, his voice worried and she heard him calling out for help.

For a short while Madam Perth ran diagnostics and administered more potions. She left behind Dreamless Sleep for when she was ready and promised to be back at first light for the next round of pain meds. Feeling a little less pain and a lot more drugged, Hermione was able to shift over on the bed so that Draco could sit next to her and gather her into his arms.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered from above where his chin rested on the top of her head.

She snorted. "You should know better than anyone I'm harder to kill than I look."

He laughed for a moment and held her tighter. She could tell in the way his arms trembled that if he wasn't afraid he'd hurt her, she would be crushed to him. "Thank fucking Merlin," he breathed.

"Why were you dueling with Riddle?" she asked.

He stiffened beside her and she tried not to panic.

"He started it."

"I don't care who started what, Draco. What happened?"

As he told her, Hermione's blood froze in her veins. Her lungs burned from holding in her breath for as long as she did and her eyes stung from how hard she was squeezing them shut. Riddle had shown him moments she'd let her guard down around him. All of which had been without her consent, but she knew that wasn't the context in which they had been implied to Draco.

"He was just fucking with me," Draco said, daring to tighten his grasp a fraction. "He showed me those things because he knew I would rise to the bait."

He was asking her if they were true. She couldn't lie to him and tell them they weren't, but she didn't want to spark his anger either. She would be powerless to stop him storming through the castle and starting another duel with Riddle. And she wouldn't be there to save him. And he would never stop until one of them was dead.

"You should have just walked away from him, Draco," she said after a very pregnant pause.

"Why, Hermione?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Why would you put yourself in harm's way?"

"Because if I hadn't, he would have killed you."

"You should have let him," he breathed, pulling away and sliding off the bed.

"Draco-"

"If either of us is going to take a curse for the other, it better not ever be you," he snapped, handing her the vial of Dreamless Sleep. "Of the two of us, I'm not the one worth saving."

She opened the vial carefully and then tipped it to her lips, feeling the cool, tingling sensation sweep through her body and close her eyes almost immediately.

"I disagree," she heard herself mumble before the potion pulled her under.

* * *

**_Sunday, 9 November 1944_**

She had woken sometime during the day. Madam Perth had noted her progress and claimed she was out of the danger zone. That they whatever she had been hit with hadn't done anything beyond repair and if she was lucky, would leave minimal scaring. She had shrugged at that; nothing could be worse than the scars Dolohov had given her. What was one more?

Madam Perth had said she wanted her to stay overnight again just to be sure and if she felt well in the morning and her diagnostics were consistent, she would be discharged and could return to class the following day.

Draco never left her side except for the occasional bathroom break. She was pretty sure he was in the same clothes they had gone to Hogsmeade in the day before. Even when her roommates and a few other classmates came to check on her, Draco stayed close; watching her like a hawk.

Half of his gaze was protective while the other half was questioning. He was staring as if he were afraid she would disappear on him and when she didn't he was wondering who she really was. Hermione barely met his gaze; afraid that she would show him.

It was in the middle of the second night that Riddle came.

She had woken to a warm, calming presence in her mind and blinked to see him standing at her bedside. She shifted to see Draco asleep in the chair he refused to transfigure into something more comfortable. Riddle retreated from her mind and stared down at her with the smallest bit of concern in his eyes.

"I guess you can hurt me after all," she said, wincing at how loud her voice sounded in the quiet of the room.

"The spell was not meant for you."

"It shouldn't have been meant for Draco either," she snapped, instantly regretting sounding so harsh. "Was…" She gulped and drew in a shaky breath. "Was it retaliation for the other night?"

His eyes hardened and his jaw clenched. "No."

She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips, but her eyes still misted with tears. "Then _why_?"

He continued to stare at her. "Letting you inside my head was a mistake. The…_repercussions _were harder to resist than I anticipated." He shifted and Hermione noted the way his eyes flashed with unease. "When I saw him in Hogsmeade without you, my emotions were not under my usual control."

"You promised you wouldn't tell him anything or harm him so long as I did what you asked, Riddle. You not only almost killed him, but you showed him…things." She swallowed and shuddered hard. "Things that were warped and taken out of context when put on display."

He tipped his head to the side. "Are you asking me to remove the duel from his mind?"

"Not all of it," she replied, her voice strained. "Just the parts where you showed him… He doesn't need any more reason to try and harm you. I'm asking you to fix your mistake, Riddle."

She didn't flinch as his fingers curled around her chin. "I apologize."

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the truth in his words. This was the second time he had apologized to her. A shiver swept over her entire body as she realized that it gave her a sort of power over him; one that she wished wasn't there. It was too dangerous. She wondered if he knew, but he released her and stepped closer to Draco before she could find out.

He stared down at Draco and after a moment, he stepped back and said, "He recalls the fight was about you. That I said things to get a rise from him and used my power over the mark, but he will not remember what I showed him about us."

Us. The intimacy of the word made Hermione shiver. "Thank you," she whispered and when his gaze lifted to hers, she shook her head. "Please leave."

He said nothing as he clenched his jaw and took his leave of the infirmary.

* * *

**_Monday, 10 November 1944_**

When Hermione woke the next morning, the elves had already brought breakfast up to them. They ate in silence and then waited for Madam Perth to make her appearance before she officially discharged her. Unfortunately, the Healer didn't arrive alone. Headmaster Dippet was there and while she ran her tests on Hermione, Dippet had pulled Draco aside to get his statement about what happened in Hogsmeade.

Draco told him what he could, leaving out some choice details. When he was done retelling his side of things, Dippet then went and questioned Hermione. Once he had her story as well, he bid them good day and took his leave. After a final round of potions, Hermione was discharged and they paused once they were out of in the infirmary. He knew he desperately wanted a shower and clean clothes, but if she wasn't ready to go to the dorms, he would have to wait.

As it was, she asked to go to the Room of Requirement. He paced in front of the entry three times, thinking how much he wanted a safe space for them, but it wasn't until he stepped inside that he discovered his desire for a bed was more prominent.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around.

He cleared his throat and refused to look at her. "This is my room. From the Manor."

He credited her lack of reaction to her exhaustion. "Is this how it really looks?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sorry, I tried for the-"

"It's fine," she said, smiling softly before stepping forward to take in the rest of the room. "It's…nice."

"Nice?"

"Less green than I imagined."

He couldn't help the grin that took hold of his lips. "Been imagining my room have you?"

She stepped forward more, stopping at the foot of the bed. She remained silent as her fingers skimmed along the edge, rippling the comforter. He was moving before he even realized what he was doing, stopping only when he had gathered her into his arms and crushing her to him. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry about the all those years at school. I'm sorry about the Manor. I'm sorry that I upset you in Hogsmeade and I'm so sorry that you got hurt because of me. If I could go back and fix all of it, I would."

"Draco…" she stared, squirming out of his grasp.

"No, don't… You don't have to say anything. Just know that I would," he said, brushing his lips over her forehead while he reached into his back pocket for the trinket he had bought her just before his duel with Riddle.

She looked down when she heard the little box open and he watched as her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly as she reached out tentatively to touch it. It was a necklace; a silver teardrop with a heart shaped sapphire in the center. "It's…" She swallowed hard and looked up at him. "It's too much, Draco, I can't-"

"You can," he said, taking it out of the little box and unclasping the chain. "And you will. Turn back around," he demanded, keeping his voice soft. She hesitated and then spun around, lifting her hair out of the way so he could place it around her neck. "Think of it as a late birthday or early Christmas present. I know it can't replace the one you lost, but…" he shrugged as she turned back around, her hand coming up to touch the pendant that now rested just below the hollow of her throat. "It looks good."

"Thank you, Draco. It's beautiful."

"Second to you."

Hermione wound her arms around his neck and his went around her back. She clung to him for the longest time, kissing his cheek when she finally pulled back. "Is the bed as comfortable as it looks?" she asked.

He chuckled as she moved to the side and turned down the comforter. "Like sleeping on a cloud."

She hummed and stripped down to her knickers and jumper before climbing into the bed. She moaned softly as she settled in amongst the pillows. "How do you ever get out of this?" she asked, watching as he began to strip down to his boxers as well. "If it were my bed, I would _never _leave."

He chuckled as he climbed in beside her. She shifted closer until they were both on their sides, almost nose-to-nose. "Some days are much harder than others," he confirmed.

She smiled and then ducked her head as she yawned. "Merlin, you would think I haven't been asleep for the majority of the last forty-eight hours."

"It's what happens when-" He swallowed hard, unable to complete that sentence and reached out to cup her face, the pad of his thumb swiping at her cheek. "Just rest, Hermione. Your body will sort itself out when it's ready."

"After."

"After?" he questioned, searching her eyes and then quirking a brow when he caught her meaning. "Hermione-"

"Please?" she whispered, her hand skimming down between them until she was cupping him outside of his boxers. He was already growing hard in her hand. "I need you."

Against his better judgement, he pressed his lips to hers. There was a flurry of movement between them as they divulged the rest of their clothes. She drew him over her, cradling his body to hers. He could tell from her touch that she didn't want any foreplay. She was just desperate to feel him; to be connected. He reached down between them and brushed his cock through her folds, groaning at how wet she was for him already.

"Draco, please."

As her pleas resonated above him where he peppered her neck with kisses, he pressed his hips forward, slipping into her core like a stone sinking through water. She went still beneath him for a moment and her fingers flexed on his back where she had been holding onto him. Slowly, he continued to rock in and out of her, keeping his strokes long and drawn out, holding back as to not hurt her.

She continued to shudder around him and even began to squirm, encouraging him to pick up the pace just a little. It wasn't until he heard her sob that he pushed himself up on his forearms and stopped moving inside of her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but tears were still falling back into her hair. Her face was twisted as if she were in pain and she was biting her bottom lip.

"Hermione? Am I hurting you?" he asked.

When he started to pull out of her, she shook her head and grabbed his hips to keep him in place. "No, Draco, I'm fine."

"You're crying."

"Ignore it."

He shot her a look and tried to move again, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust her hips up. He shuddered as he slipped deeper into her body, renewing his hunger for her. He hadn't planned on resuming, but she continued to thrust upwards until he reached down to hook one of her legs around his arm and push it back, allowing him to bottom out.

She reached up with one hand and ran it up and down his chest while her other hand reached between them so she could touch herself. The sight combined with the way she gasped and her inner walls began to clutch at him made him groan and pick up the pace. Soon, her head was grinding back against the pillows and she was squeezing him as she came undone beneath him. He chased her release with his own, and when he was done, he slipped off to the side and pulled her close.

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" he asked.

"I'm sure," she replied, kissing his jaw before pushing herself up. "Your room didn't happen to come with an equally lavish bathroom did it?" she asked.

He smiled and kissed her before slipping out of bed, extending his hand to help her to her feet as well. He kept her hand in his as he led her towards the bathroom and opened the shower to turn it on for them. When it was ready, they stepped into the hot water, letting it wash away the tension of the past few days and sending it down the drain.

She allowed him to scrub her clean and then watched as he washed himself. As the last of the soap was rinsed off of him, she reached for him, clutching at him as if she were afraid to let go. He held her back just as hard, wondering if she would break. It took him a moment to realize that she was sobbing into his chest, whispering, "I'm sorry," over and over again. It triggered every warning bell and raised every red flag inside of him, but he just held her and reassured her that she had nothing to be sorry for.

Long after the shower had turned cold, she had finally stopped and was nearly catatonic in his arms. He turned the water off, used charms to dry them off, and carried her back to bed. He pulled her to him again where she fell asleep the moment he pulled the blanket over them. He stared down at her, not sure what to make of her apologetic mantra. Instead, he just held her tighter and joined her in sleep hoping that when she woke, she felt safe in his arms again.


	40. Chapter 40

**FORTY**

_**Thursday, 13 November 1944**_

Monday night she had woken to a blistering pain in her left forearm. Right where her scar used to be. Draco had bolted up at the sound of her screams and held her until the nightmare faded and she calmed down. She had allowed him to summon a House Elf and they ate dinner in bed. After that, she forced them to leave the room and head back to the dorms. He walked her to her door and bid her goodnight after promising for the thousandth time that he wasn't going to start another fight with Riddle.

Tuesday, Hermione woke in her own bed feeling cold and empty. The only thing that helped was that, for the first time in months, when she reached up to twist the chain at her neck, there was actually something there. It helped her through their quiz in Defense and her kept her calm in Astronomy.

She had almost been surprised to see Riddle slide into his usual seat next to her. He hadn't so much as looked at her or Draco in Defense and he ignored her completely then as well. Hermione's stomach clenched in agony as he sat beside her. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. She knew his anger was there, simmering beneath the surface. She could feel it in her bones that he would snap when she least expected it. It filled her with dread.

Wednesday was no different. Dumbledore had asked them to stay after and spent a good few minutes chatting with them, making sure they were okay. He asked them a few questions about their search for a way home. Hermione told him a condensed version of her theory and said that she had a good feeling about it. That they seemed to be on the right path. Her smile was forced and her stomach flipped as she said it.

Thursday morning was the same as Tuesday. Riddle hadn't shown up then and she highly doubted he was going to show up now. She told Draco as much and assured him that he should get to class. When he was gone, she pulled out the books Riddle had given her and continued to read. Even if he wasn't there, learning about Grey magic was fascinating.

There was only one small difference in Astronomy. As she pulled out a few books to get to her text for the class, Riddle pulled the book on Grey magic he had given her. He gave her an apprehensive look and then set it back down near her bag. He said nothing as he pulled out his own notes, but he wasn't as rigid next to her for the rest of class.

After dinner, they ended up in the common room with her roommates and some of the others. All the while, Hermione's mind was focused on the way Draco's thigh was pressed against hers on the couch. On the way his fingers kept trailing up and down her wrist, stoking the flame of desire low in her gut. If he noticed her shifting uncomfortably next to him, he didn't acknowledge it.

Normally she would be one to say she was going to bed before the rest, but she had a plan to wait until the majority of them were gone. And as curfew hit, one by one, their housemates began trickling to their dorms. When it was down to a handful of students, Hermione pulled Draco to his feet and led him towards the exit of the common room.

They had been sneaking around for long enough that they knew the routines of those out that night. It would be easy enough to get to their destination without getting caught. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her along in the darkness of the castle. The only light was that of the moon beaming in from the windows, spilling silver atop the stone floor.

Unable to wait until they got to the Room of Requirement, Draco stopped and pinned her against the stone wall. His hands were in her hair, tugging her head back roughly so he could place his lips over hers. She gripped at his shirt and bit down on his bottom lip before shoving him away.

He chased her down the next corridor, only catching up with her as she peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. As she took a step forward, his arm looped around her waist and pulled her back flush against his chest.

"Draco, we're going to get caught," she breathed as she struggled against him.

He responded by strengthening his grip and leaning in to flick his tongue over the shell of her ear. "I don't care."

"Well I do," she protested.

He sighed, his breath tickling her neck, but he let her go. He followed her to the stairs and up they went. She stopped short and he crashed into her with a grunt that echoed around the hall. Muffled voices not too far off voiced concern for students breaking the rules and footsteps in their direction slapped against the stone floor.

Hermione grabbed his hand and ducked down the first corridor that attached to their landing. It put them off course for their usual destination, but when they stumbled into a little alcove a few steps later, they found they no longer cared. She was just glad that he wasn't treating her like glass and that her brain had finally turned off the guilt that was still in her system from their trip to Hogsmeade.

He shoved her against the wall again, swallowing her meek protests with his mouth. Their lips moved as one in a frenzy of fevered kisses. They weren't easily detectable from the landing of the stairs, but there was still a chance that someone would see. The thrill of it all sent a fresh wave of slick to her core and her hips arched into his.

His hands stole into her curls, tugging her head back. It amused her that for someone who constantly griped about her hair, he spent an awful lot of time using it to his advantage. Her hands fumbled with his trousers, pushing them down enough to free him. She wrapped her fingers around him, eyes fluttering as he hissed into her mouth.

He was already weeping when she touched him, the slick enabling her to pump him with ease. He growled into her mouth and reached down to bunch up her skirt, finding no trace of knickers beneath it. With it around her waist, his right hand slid across her core, eliciting a deep moan from her throat.

Her head pulled back from his, slapping against the stone behind her as he grabbed her thighs and pulled her up. She wrapped her bare legs around his waist. He seized the moment and brought his lips to her neck before burying his cock inside her with a satisfying amount of force.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out and closed her eyes as he thrust in and out of her in a pace designed to drive her mad. The majority of the trysts they had shared had been in the Room of Requirement and hadn't required silencing charms. There hadn't been time or forethought to cast one here and it was too late now.

She had one hand lost in his blonde locks, keeping his head firmly attached to her neck while the other dug into his bicep for purchase. Every thrust brought forth a mewl from her lips. Each plunge sent her closer and closer to the edge. The increase in his pace brought it closer still. She craved the bliss he always gave her. It was the only thing that quieted her mind.

Her heart skipped a beat despite the wild thumping it did against her ribcage. Her eyes opened and she sucked in a breath at the sight of Riddle. He was standing in the shadows of the alcove's entrance. For a moment, she thought it was a trick of the light, but she felt his presence in the back of her mind and she knew better. There was a bitter edge to the warmth he normally provided.

He was standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, watching her with an intensity she had never encountered before. His eyes were raging at her, demanding that she keep her eyes open and on him. She wondered if she had been able to close them if he wouldn't just make her open them again. Her nails dug further into Draco's bicep and tightened her hold on the back of his head. She bit her bottom lip as Draco slipped a hand between them and placed his thumb on her clit.

Riddle's chin tilted up slightly as if giving her permission to come undone. She kept her eyes open and locked on his. The sheer commanding power of his gaze combined with Draco's cock in her core and thumb on her clit sent her hurtling for the stars with such ferocity her vision swam.

Draco followed her with his own orgasm moments later. She felt his cock twitching as he unloaded himself inside her. His breath was hot on her neck. He stilled, but stayed inside her as they both panted for air.

Riddle disappeared into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared and Hermione let out a deep breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

Draco pulled out of her with a sigh and helped lower her legs back to the ground safely. He used his wand to clean them both and then smoothed her skirt down for her before redressing himself.

He grasped her chin and lifted her face gently so he could see her. He smiled and laid his lips over hers. "Coast should be clear now," she said when he moved his lips to her forehead.

"To the Room of Requirement or back to the common room?" he asked as his arms slid around her.

"The dorms," she mumbled against his chest. "Is that alright?"

He pulled away enough to look at her and gave a light nod. "Of course." Another kiss to the forehead. "But if it's alright with you, I'd like another minute or two here with you."

She smiled, "I'm sure the coast will be clear for awhile." She stood on her tip toes to reclaim his lips.

"That wasn't too rough was it?" he asked as they sank to the floor to lean against one another.

"No, Draco," she said, turning to kiss his cheek. "I'm not made of glass."

"Well forgive me, but you _cried_ last time. It kind of sticks with you."

"You didn't hurt me," she assured him, reaching down for his hand and giving it a squeeze. "I just… There were a lot of emotions bottled up and they all just hit me at once."

His thumb brushed across her knuckles repeatedly. "You died."

"Draco-"

"No, Hermione, I don't think you quite understand how it felt to see you lying on the ground like that. Your skin was fucking grey." He paused to swallow and she felt a tear slip out from the corner of her eye. "You weren't breathing. You fucking _died_-"

Her heart broke along with his voice and he pulled her into his lap. She was straddling him with her arms about his neck, head tucked beneath her chin. He drew his legs up, pushing her further into him as his arms stole around her, crushing her. She could feel his body shaking beneath her and the collar of her shirt dampened with tears. "Shh, Draco, I'm here. I'm alive. I'm right here," she breathed, hoping that he heard her.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before he had gone still beneath her. It wasn't until he pulled his head back and led her chin down so he could kiss her did she taste the salt on his lips. Before they could get carried away, she pulled back and carefully extracted herself from his lap and got to her feet. She extended her hand down to him and he took it.

Instead of leading him towards the dorms, she led him towards the Room of Requirement. Away from prying eyes and wandering minds. A place where they could express their feelings without saying a single word. A place where she could lose herself to him throughout the night and wake up in the safety of his arms.

She would deal with her lingering guilt in the morning like she always did.


	41. chapter 41

**FORTY-ONE**

_**Friday, 14 November 1944**_

It took a moment for Draco to realize that Hermione was having a nightmare. He had been roused from sleep by the hauntingly familiar screams and it was utter agony when he realized they weren't in his head. They were coming from her as she relived her own hell. When the last traces of his sleep subsided, he sat up, staring at her as he contemplated what to do. If she woke while he was looming over her, he was sure that would only make matters worse, but he had to wake her somehow.

As her lips parted and her body began to writhe in pain again, he made his decision and grasped her hand. Once the physical contact had been established, he kept his eyes on her closed lids and let his mind wander into hers.

As he suspected, she was lying on the floor of the Manor while his aunt sat above her. Her screams reverberated around the space, echoing slightly in the recesses of her mind. For a moment, he was rooted to the spot as he watched with horror. It was so akin to his own memories that it was jarring. But he shook away the lingering fear. This was her nightmare. She was being tortured. He could save her this time and he intended to do that.

As he stepped forward to reach for his aunt, all the sound in the room vanished. It felt as though he had been sucked through the vacuum of space and it made him pause for a split second. When the sounds started again, they didn't quite match the scene. Not completely.

"Please, I-I'll give you _anything_ you want. Just not…not that. Anything else. Just take what you want from my mind. I won't fight you, just…"

The words echoed around on a loop. He hadn't remembered her saying anything quite like that, but he had been more preoccupied with trying to block her out than listening to her every word the day it happened. Since this was her mind, he wondered if this is what she had been pleading internally. But what could his aunt have wanted to take that Hermione didn't want to give? Was she begging for her life?

Spurred on by a scream piercing through the repeating words to take _anything but that_, Draco found his footing and shoved his aunt to the side. She disappeared in a swirl of black smoke and he reached for Hermione, ignoring the way she flinched from his touch. He gathered her in his arms and held her tight, rocking back and forth while he smoothed her hair down her back.

"Shh," he begged, kissing the top of her head. "I've got you. She can't hurt you. Not here. Not ever again. Hermione it's a nightmare."

He felt the tension of her mind give way just a little, but she refused to wake up. She was still hyperventilating and those damn words were still slithering around them like a snake. He shook at her shoulders, hoping it would jolt her out of it enough to at least change the scenery, but nothing happened.

He closed his eyes and thought about what could draw her out of a nightmare. A small smile cracked his lips and he tugged both of their consciences towards the library. His elation was cut short when he realized that Hermione was no longer in his arms. He was standing in front of the Restricted Section. The gate to the entrance had been left open and he could hear voices.

He took a few cautious steps forward, his blood turning cold when he realized Hermione wasn't alone in this scenario.

"That note wasn't meant for you."

"Are you sure?"

It was Riddle's voice. The tone of it left a sour taste in his mouth as he took another step forward. He paused as he realized this was a memory. _What note_? he asked himself. _When did this happen_?

She hesitated to answer and Riddle harrumphed in her silence.

"You could have easily placed enchantments on the note to prevent anyone but Draco from reading the contents. Why, Miss Granger, if I did not know any better, I would think you _wanted _me to know where you were going this morning," he taunted. "And that you would be alone."

Panic formed a lump in the back of Draco's throat as he turned the corner of the last stack and saw Hermione facing a book shelf. Riddle was pressed against her back, touching her as if he could. The worst part, he decided, was that Hermione seemed to be _letting_ him touch her. He couldn't see their faces, but he could see the way she relaxed. It was only a fraction of her tension, but the fact that it dissipated at all made him angry.

"What note?" he snapped.

Riddle and the library evaporated into thin air and he felt himself being pulled through darkness like a portkey hooking his navel. When the motion stopped, he staggered, blanching when he realized that they were on the Astronomy Tower. He hadn't seen it since the night Dumbledore had died. Not unless he was in his own nightmares. But Hermione hadn't been there that night. No, this was a different night. Recent.

Riddle.

He wasn't there with them in the tower, but he could feel his presence around them. He could feel it in his forearm where the Mark burned with familiarity. She was sagged against the wall near the railing and she was hugging herself tight, trembling and crying.

"Please, I-I'll give you _anything_ you want. Just not…not that. Anything else. Just take whatever you want from my mind. I won't fight you, just…" She continued to plead and beg, sounding less and less coherent with each word she spoke.

He ran to her, dropping down to his knees to get on her level. There was true terror making his heart thump a mile a minute. He had never seen her quite like this. Even on the floor of his manor, she had never been this truly horrified. "Hermione!" he shouted.

Her eyes snapped open and after a moment of blinding white light, he found himself back in his own mind, grasping Granger's hand on the replica of his childhood bed. She yanked her hand from his and launched herself over the side of the bed. He barely had enough time to join her and hold her hair back while she retched repeatedly. When there was nothing left, she moved to lie back among the pillows and curled into herself.

He slid out of bed to fetch her a towel and a cup of water. He handed her the items and then sat next to her, rubbing her back with slow, gentle pressure as she rinsed her mouth and sipped steadily at the rest of the water. "Thank you," she croaked, leaning back into him.

"I didn't know what else to do," he assured her, continuing his work on her back.

She nodded and moved so that she could lay her head on his shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered, reaching out to place a hand over his knee. "Was it the Manor?"

He went still for a moment and then nodded. "Do you not remember?"

She shook her head against him. They were just nightmares. He knew the one at the Manor was true, but he couldn't deny that the ones involving Riddle had felt like memories as well and not just fears. His jaw clenched with realization that he wouldn't be able to ask her about the parts with Riddle. If she didn't remember, he certainly wasn't going to risk upsetting her again by dredging it up.

Instead, he just held her while they both calmed down. When it was time to get ready for class, they freshened up, and then went to the dorm to change and grab their school supplies so they could go about their day.

* * *

Hermione hated the fact that she had had a nightmare in front of Draco. She knew it wasn't something she planned, but it was embarrassing. And it didn't help that he had gone into her mind to try and ease her out of it. It was thoughtful of him, but it was evident whatever her subconscious had made him witness wasn't sitting well with him. She wished she knew what he had seen, but she was not going to ask him about it.

So they had gone through the rest of the day with this strange aura around them that neither of them could shake. After dinner, she excused herself to her dorm and took a short nap, setting her alarm to wake her shortly before she was due to meet Riddle for the night. As much as she wanted to just stay in her bed and not go, she couldn't risk the consequences.

The longer she laid there, staring at the ceiling, the less tired she felt. She sighed heavily as she drummed her fingers atop the sheets. Soon her mind was running wild with jumbled thoughts, unable to focus. Instead of letting it get the best of her and send her spiraling again, she dug in her bag for the book Riddle had given her and cracked it open. She read until her alarm went off. She was surprised at how much sense it made. She had read it a few times now, but this was the first time she hadn't had to stop and think about the contexts.

As she moved to put the book back in her bag, she saw the flicker of Dark magic coiling around her wrist. Only this time, there wasn't the usual darkness to it. It wasn't trying to pull her into a trance or pulling her negative emotions forward. It wasn't trying to get her to use it in a way she would regret later. It was like her magic was letting her know it had found balance and she was seeing it with her own eyes.

She thought about the words she had read an idea struck her. She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the loo. She locked the door and set the bag by the door before stepping in front of the floor length mirror. The magic was still swirling around her wrists and she slowly lifted her hands to her hair, wrapping the ends of it around her fingers.

She thought of Tonks and her Metamorphmagus ability. She thought of Polyjuice Potion. She thought of all the base rules of magic she had been taught since the age of eleven. Everything said that one could not alter their physical appearance without the aid of something else.

But with Grey magic…

She gave a mental push, the way she did with nonverbal and wandless spells. The way Riddle had taught her when she used Legilimency on him. She thought of Draco and his white blond hair. She focused on the color. On the way it felt silky and full under her touch. Of the way it would wave slightly as it dried. She continued to think of nothing else and her jaw dropped when her hair started to change. It started where her fingers were, creeping up like vines on a building. One by one, her brown curls relaxed and turned white.

She let her hands fall from her hair as she stepped closer to the mirror. Her hands reached up to touch her reflection, astounded that it had actually worked. A smile took hold of her lips as she took in the sleek blonde waves that fell nearly to the small of her back. As she reached up to touch her hair again, her hair slowly began to change back to normal. After a few moments, her reflection was restored. She looked like herself again.

She wondered that if with more practice, could the change last longer? Was there a way to make it permanent? A thrill of excitement washed over her spine. She wanted to try changing her eye color, wondering if she would be able to alter her entire appearance at will over time. The thrill diminished a moment later when she picked up her bag, thinking how excited she was to tell Riddle of her success.

She froze with her hand on the handle to leave the loo. She couldn't tell him. He had only told her to read; had specifically told her not to practice, but things had changed since then. She shuddered as she recalled the night before when he had watched Draco fuck her in the hall. He had been inside her head, feeling what Draco made her feel. He had given permission to come and had stayed inside of her head long enough to experience it with her.

Clamping down on those thoughts, she hurried away from the loo and into the common room. It was time to go anyway. After a goodbye to Draco who was reading by the fire as he usually was, she marched up to the Astronomy Tower. There, she found out very quickly that her worry was for naught. Riddle was apparently finishing up when she arrived. He stayed long enough to share a few notes with her before taking his leave shortly after. All without even looking at her.

So she used her time on the Astronomy Tower alone to practice more Grey magic in the dead of night with only the moon as her witness.


	42. Chapter 42

**FORTY-TWO**

_**Tuesday, 18 November 1944**_

That weekend, Hermione and Draco weren't able to take their usual weekend stroll along the Black Lake due to the snowstorm. The draft in the castle was beyond anything she had ever felt before and she hadn't realized how much she loathed the dungeons until the lake nearly froze over. As if it wasn't cold enough down there. She missed the Gryffindor tower more than ever once the snow had hit.

On the flip side, because everyone was forced indoors, they didn't feel the need to be alone. Most of Saturday and Sunday was spent playing games with their housemates in the common room. The fact that she was being included and considered friends among the people here in this time made her ache a little. She had wished time and time again that this was how it was back in her own time. She wasn't excluded by anyone other than herself.

It had just boggled her back then how people could celebrate and party with the impending doom looming over their heads. She wondered if it was something that she worried about more than most because of her blood status. Halfbloods weren't the enemy to Voldemort. Just Mudbloods and Blood Traitors. Either way, the more she learned, the less distractions she allowed herself, the more secure and confident she had felt in the days leading up to war.

Each night, Hermione would sneak off to the bathroom and experiment with Grey magic. By Monday night, she had been able to get her hair to change color and have it last for five minutes before it turned back to normal. She had attempted to change her eye color once on Sunday night and watched as they turned green. Had she not turned her hair black just before, she would have tried it again, but her thoughts turned to Harry and she left the bathroom before her thoughts got the better of her.

Tuesday night, Hermione was restless. She had every intention of going to the library to read; something to distract herself from her thoughts. She wasn't particularly fond of fiction as they were just stories; something to pass the time with, but occasionally they were good for her. Especially when she had to clear her head. But right now, the idea of sitting still was far from ideal. So instead of turning towards the library, she cast several warming charms on herself and stepped out of the entrance.

Her feet crunched against the fresh layer of snow as she made her way towards Hagrid's hut. Even as it sat empty now, she would always think of it as Hagrid's. She didn't care if she left footprints behind. With the way the snow was falling around her, there was a good chance they would be covered by the time she returned.

As she passed the spot where Buckbeak had been chained while waiting for the executioner, she paused. Her gaze lifted to the trees just behind it and smiled at the memory of her and Harry trying not to be seen as they saved the Hippogriff. She even smiled smugly as she thought of the way Draco had ignored all of his teaching and learned a hard lesson by getting injured. Everything was easier when they were all being dumb kids.

She turned and moved towards the little hut. She used her sleeve to wipe some frost off the window and peered inside. From what she could tell, it was uninhabited. She tried the knob and the door gave way with a deafening groan. She looked around to find it empty. It had the furnishings she was used to, but in that abandoned way. Whoever lived here last was long gone. Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she closed the door and turned back outside. She wasn't sure what she expected to see, but she had to see it regardless.

She looked back towards the castle and sighed. She still wasn't ready to go back inside, but she didn't want to be out her by herself either. She laughed at herself then, the sound disturbing the silence around her. The fact that she felt safer inside the castle with the Dark Lord versus outside with mostly harmless creatures was ironic. Smiling to herself, she trudged back up the path, pausing in the little courtyard she'd kissed Draco in not too long ago.

It felt like a lifetime ago as she stared at the spot, the kiss replaying in her mind. And when she turned her head to the side, an even longer lifetime before, she could relive the moment she punched him. There was a certain amount of power that came with the way he squirmed under her wand, cowered, and then ran after her punch. She didn't care how much her hand stung; it had been worth it at the time.

And she wouldn't trade any of it if it would continue them down the path that led them to how they were now. She wandered over towards the pillar and peered back down at the hut. It was hard to see with only the light of the moon, but it was there. She touched the stone tentatively and then leaned against it as she thought of the moment she had leaned on Harry and Ron when they heard what they thought was Buckbeak's murder.

She jumped as a shriek cut through her thoughts followed by a soft thud into the snow. She turned to see a small indentation in the snow and moved towards it. She inhaled sharply at the sight of a little bird lying on its side. She assumed one of the wings had broken from the unnatural angle it dangled. It looked as though another creature had tried to make this its dinner. There were marks and welts all over its body and some of the feathers had been completely torn out, leaving bald patches. Its chest rose and fell unevenly and Hermione watched as it took a few large gulps of air and then stopped moving.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She had seen enough death in her lifetime, but it would always be sad. Especially when an animal was involved. Even the biggest and meanest of beasts deserved humane deaths. She understood the nature of predator and prey; the need to eat something smaller and weaker in the animal kingdom, but that didn't mean she wanted to see it.

As she reached out to cover it with snow, she noticed the Grey magic shimmering around her wrists, floating down her fingers in wisps. She went still for a second and then took a deep breath. Just like with altering her appearance, she thought back to all the laws of magic and its uses that she had learned. One of the first things she had been taught was that you couldn't bring back the dead. That the Resurrection Stone was unique in nature and dangerous because of its value.

But she had been able to change her appearance thanks to Grey magic. It stood to reason that she could bring something back to life as well.

Slowly, she shifted closer and gathered the bird into her hands. She concentrated, watching as the magic swirled around her hands, encapsulating the bird in wisps of smoke. Her heart beat faster and faster with each passing second as her breathing came in rapid, shallow pants. And just when she thought it was a good try, but it didn't work, the bird took a breath and started chirping. Her magic kept it in her hands as it not only brought the animal back to life, but healed all its damage as well. The feathers returned, seeming to sprout from thin air. The wing popped and crunched beneath her palm until it was whole again and the bloody welts stitched back together.

When she retracted her magic, she opened her palms, and the bird took off. It chirped excitedly around her a few times and then disappeared off into the night. Hermione smiled at her feat and dragged her eyes from the sky to the entrance of the courtyard. She did a double take at the sight of Riddle watching her.

And from one breath to the next, her vision swam and her lungs began to burn as if she couldn't catch her breath. She put her hands on her stomach as pain laced through her from head to toe. Her warming charms disappeared and the chill of the snow penetrated her skin as though she had been outside all this time without any charms at all.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still and she drifted aimlessly in the recesses of her own mind. She felt herself being lifted as though she weighed nothing and she heard someone's voice. It was deep and familiar. It wasn't comforting in the traditional sense as it filled with a sort of trepidation, but there was something about it that warmed her nonetheless. She clung to the voice, afraid that if she stopped hearing it, she'd be lost in space and time.

She jolted as the heat of a thousand suns rolled through her body. Her eyes opened as she took a large gulp of air. It took a moment for the world to right itself and for her to figure out that she was inside the hut. A fire was lit in the fireplace and she was lying in front of the hearth with Riddle standing above her with a guarded expression on his face.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes again. Once her heart rate went back to normal, her breathing regulated, and she didn't feel too hot or too cold, she opened her eyes again and pushed herself into a sitting position. The action caused the room to spin for a moment, but she blinked and rubbed at her temple before looking at Riddle from the floor.

"I believe my instructions were to read. I have not advised you to practice yet."

"I didn't mean to," she said, taking her time to say each word lest she slur them. Her tongue felt heavy and thick in her mouth.

"You brought the bird back to life."

"Healed it too."

She finally registered the look on his face. There was a gleam in his eye that told her she had crossed into dangerous territory. She was everything he wanted and whatever sense of decency he had in him was near gone. Hermione had proven that Grey magic not only existed, but she could wield it.

She had brought an animal back from the dead.

Could she do the same with people?

She shuddered at the thought and closed her eyes to rub at her temples again. Either way, she had nearly burned out her core with just a small bird. Had it not been for Riddle, she might have died in its place on the snow. Guilt hammered in her heart as she imagined the look on Draco's face had he had to wake and discover her that way. The thought of her dead had devastated him once already.

"Did you enjoy the show?" she asked, pushing herself up, only to drop into the armchair.

"Which one?" he asked, his voice lowering a tad. "The resurrection or the exhibition in the alcove?"

The way he moved towards her, like a snake in the grass, had Hermione going still in her seat. He stopped before her and set his hands on the arms of the chair, right next to hers. She leaned back as he bent, his face eye level with hers.

"Your mind is the most exquisite one I have ever come across. You can do things that witches and wizards do not dare to even dream about. I just witnessed you bring something back from the dead, Hermione. It may very well be something no one else will ever be able to do."

He paused and pressed his face closer to hers. She swallowed hard, but didn't move.

"Yet you continue to act foolishly. Had I not seen you sneak out of the castle, you would have died. Next time I give you instructions, I expect you to follow them as given." His lips twitched into an amused smirk. "And might I suggest that if you plan on getting anywhere in life with that mind of yours, perhaps you should focus more on your aspirations rather than whoring around where anyone can see you."

Hermione's face twisted into a scowl and anger formed a knot in her stomach. "So sex with someone I care about is the same as whoring myself around?"

"Carnal pleasure can cloud the mind and keep the best and brightest from achieving the level of greatness they were destined for."

"You never indulged and look where it gets you."

She realized too late that she should have kept her mouth shut as Riddle's hand wrapped around her throat and hauled her to her feet. He spun and shoved her up against the wall of the hut; his knee wedged between her thighs, arm pressed between their chests. She cried out and reached up to try and pry him off as he squeezed, shutting off her air supply. "Whores get killed every day because they forget their place. Have you forgotten your place with me, Hermione? Should I treat you like one to remind you?"

"N-no," she choked out.

He relaxed his hold on her throat and her body sagged against the wall as she gulped for air. "Then stop acting like one." His tone was sharp and the unspoken threat behind his words made her tremble twice as much.

His lips curled into a snarl and he withdrew completely from her, watching as she nearly staggered to her hands and knees before him. She was able to steady herself with one hand on the wall behind her as her other hand remained at her throat. Something inside of her snapped as she caught her breath and she couldn't stop the laughter bubbling past her lips. Laughter for the irony that she was in Hagrid's hut before it was Hagrid's. Because the Dark Lord had saved her from death. Because he had called her whore, but looked at her as though he was just waiting for her permission to replace Draco as the one between her thighs.

When the hysteria began to ebb, she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at Riddle who had narrowed his eyes in confusion at her outburst. "I fail to find the humor in our discussion."

She smiled and shook her head. "I've been told I'm not all that funny."

His gaze roamed over her from head to toe slowly. "Far from it," he said, stepping forward again. She straightened, but refused to back down. Even when his hand lifted to drag his knuckles along her cheek like he had done on the Astronomy Tower. "Your failure to comply with my instructions deserves a punishment. Perhaps I should repay Draco the favor of making him witness what I did?"

She began to tremble again as she absorbed his words and grasped their meaning. She swallowed hard as she forced herself not to look away. "Please, don't-"

The corners of his lips quirked into a dangerous smile. "Something else then," he breathed, his fingers curling around her chin. "You want to be on display?" he questioned, his voice low. He leaned in, tilting her head to the side so he could press his lips against her ear. "Then give me a performance."

She swallowed hard and shook her head as best she could in his grasp. "I don't-"

"Either perform a solo act for me, or I will drag you to my dorm and we will show Draco firsthand what I removed from his mind at your request."

Hermione shuddered as she realized what he was asking. She remembered the time she had gotten herself off in front of Draco in the Room of Requirement. How they ended up doing so in tandem with each other. This was nothing like that. She had no idea what Riddle's true intentions were aside from his need to remind her that he had power over her.

His fingers tightened on her chin as he pulled back to look at her. "Were my instructions unclear?"

"N-no, I just-"

"Would you prefer that I make you? The Imperius Curse, perhaps?"

Hermione's mouth went dry at his threat. If he did that, he would be in full control. Without the curse's influence, there was still a fair bit of control that she could maintain. She didn't want to surrender to him; not completely. "No," she whispered.

His lips curved into a deadly smirk and his eyes flashed with lust. He let go of her chin, his hand slowly lowering down between them until his hand slid over hers. He moved them away from the wall and back to the chair he had yanked her from moments before. He gently pushed her down onto the cushion and tipped his head to the side, waiting for her to start.

Her hand trembled as she leaned back and moved it towards the waistband of her pajama bottoms. He hadn't said he wanted to remove them and unless he ordered her to, they were staying on. With a deep breath, she let her fingers slip beneath the band and her knickers all in one. She bit down on her lip and closed her eyes as her middle finger slipped through her folds. She thought of Draco. Of his hand between her thighs instead of her own. Of the way he-

"Eyes open."

Her lids fluttered for a moment before she opened her eyes fully and found her gaze connected to his. He was standing there, still as a statue, staring down at her. She inhaled sharply as his mind slipped into hers. She could feel his distaste from seeing the memory of her and Draco in the Room of Requirement. There was a push of his mind against hers, hard enough that she flinched on the chair, and all thoughts of Draco disappeared. For the first time ever, her mind was completely blank. It was just her and Riddle in the abandoned hut.

The slick that appeared beneath her hand at that thought flamed her face with shame.

His smirk widened a touch. "You say you are not a whore, but here you are, wet for a man who is not your current lover. A man that you consider a monster." A strangled gasp escaped her lips as she tried to think of Draco again, but his presence in her mind kept her thoughts from shifting. "If you try to think of him again, I will take control." His voice was cold and flat. "This is not about him. In this moment, he does not exist." He took a half step forward, his gaze never wavering from hers. "This moment is mine."

The moan tore past her lips before she even knew it was there. It filled the room, reached every corner, and filled every crack in the walls. Her lids fluttered, but never fully closed as a tear slid out from the side of her eyes. She could feel her arousal coiling through her body, licking up her spine like the flames dancing in the fireplace. Her back arched involuntarily, signaling the beginning of her release.

She held his gaze as he sank to a crouch before her. His hair had fallen forward, nearly covering his eyes. He bent one elbow, resting it on his knee, his hand coming up towards his mouth. His thumb pressed under his chin while his fingers curled loosely in front of his mouth. His eyes were black with pupils blow wide. The intense hunger of his gaze made her moan again.

Her hips canted towards her hand. She could feel her core clenching, aching for something to fill her in her need. Her teeth gnashed down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, the metallic tang on her tongue drawing another moan. Her entire body was buzzing with the need for release; for _more_.

Her middle finger slipped into her core in the hopes of appeasing the ache. Another moan echoed around them and she watched as he dragged his bottom lip between his teeth and then slowly letting it fall back into place. Her lips parted to cry out, but she quickly clamped down on the urge to say a name. She pulled her finger from her core and moved it to her clit again, her hips jerking in response.

"Are you close?" His voice was gruff with is own desire.

She nodded as best she could as she whimpered with need. It was right there. Just a few more circles with her knuckle and she would reach that sweet release she'd worked herself towards.

"Stop."

Her movements stilled immediately, but the whine that left her throat from being denied lingered in the air around them. He withdrew from her mind and he stood up again, his gaze still on hers. "I thought-"

"Enough," he nearly growled. "Get up." She withdrew her hand and got to her feet quickly. She wiped her fingers on her pants, shifting uncomfortably as her core throbbed with need, her arousal seeping into her knickers. He reached up to grasp her chin again and leaned his face so close she could feel his breath warming her skin. "Rewards are for those that follow directions."

A shiver erupted down her spine and she stepped to the side, intending on running from the hut, but the moment she did, he stopped her. She squeaked in surprise as his hand clamped over her mouth while his other hand wrapped around her middle. In a movement too fast to be human, she found herself kneeling in front of Riddle with him kneeling at her back behind the chair. The fire in the hearth disappeared without a trace, plunging them into almost complete darkness. Her lips parted to scream, but she felt his breath on her ear. "Not one sound," he warned.

She went completely still as she heard voices from outside the hut. She could see the flickering light of a lantern filter through the windows, casting eerie shadows on the walls. She squirmed against Riddle, wanting to break free from his hold, but she went still when the hand that pinned her arms to her side moved, his palm flattening against her stomach, fingers resting along the edge of her waistband.

His hand on her mouth tightened as his other hand sank lower, beneath the fabric. She whimpered and groaned against his palm as his fingers slipped easily between her dripping wet folds. She felt him shudder at her back and heard the sharp intake of breath hiss between his teeth. He turned her head so he could nuzzle the crook of her neck as his index and middle finger sank into her core with no resistance. She choked back of wail of pleasure as her inner walls clenched hard around him, refusing to let go.

"Everything was going according to plan until you showed up," he growled before inhaling her neck, the action bringing goosebumps to her skin. "I had it all under control."

The voices outside became closer and Hermione jumped at the sound of footsteps on the stoop before the door. "I swear I saw light from inside," came a voice.

"Who would come out here in the snow, Pringle?"

Hermione's lids fluttered as Riddle's fingers crooked inside of her, hitting that spot that always pushed her over the edge. A throaty moan started to sound, but Riddle quelled his movements and tightened his hold on her mouth. "Silence."

As the door to the hut opened, Riddle's thumb slid across her clit. She arched forward and lifted her hips in attempt to get as much friction as she could. His teeth dragged along the column of her neck as she began to ride his hand, not caring that Pringle and another staff member were looking around the hut.

"See, Pringle? Nothing. Let's head back in."

The moment the door closed, Riddle removed his hand from her mouth and used it to grab a fistful of her hair and yank her head to the side. His tongue tasted her flesh, following the path his teeth had gone. She couldn't hold back her moan as she ground her hips against his hand, chasing the release he had denied her earlier.

"Are you sure you are not a whore? Fucking my hand while we try not to get caught." He pulled her earlobe between his teeth and Hermione shuddered around him. His fingers tightened in her hair and she yelped from the pain of it, but her body betrayed her by convulsing around his fingers as she rode them.

She whined loudly and chased after him as he tried to remove his hand. "Please, don't-"

"Do you want to come for me, Hermione?" he asked, his lips back on her neck. "Or do you want me to stop?"

Her eyes had closed and she felt them rolling back into her skull as her release started to build again. "I… Please, just…" She sobbed at her inability to be coherent. She wanted the release, was desperate for it, but she wasn't ready to admit she wanted it to be at Riddle's hand.

"Gods, you feel good," he purred against her skin. "So tight and wet. I could give you what you want, Hermione. All you have to do is beg."

"No, please…" Her hands had landed on his thighs behind her, where they caged her body. Her nails dug into the fabric of his trousers in a feeble attempt to keep him there. As he started to withdraw his hand again, she clamped her thighs closed around his hand and shook her head. "Please, please," she whined. "Riddle… Please let me come. I'll do better. No more mistakes, just please- _Tom-"_

And right as she began to crest, he yanked himself away, shoving her forward into the back of the chair. She gripped at the leather as she emitted a sound that was half whine and half sob. Her body was thrumming with pain as it realized she had been denied release a second time. It took a minute or two before she was able to pull herself together and turn around to face him, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

He was crouching as he had been before when she was on the chair. His hair was hanging in his face again, but this time, he was licking his fingers, cleaning them of her essence. All the while he held her gaze, drowning her in his hunger and anger. Finished, he got to his feet and extended the same hand down to her. She knew better than to refuse and took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

He brought his other hand up to her face again, wiping her tears with the back of his hand. "I will not lose focus of my ambitions for you," he said. Hermione blinked at him, wondering if it wasn't a declaration for himself. "But ambitions change."

Her mouth went dry and her lips parted on their own accord.

He gave her that dangerous smile of his and dropped his arm away before offering his elbow. She took it cautiously and allowed him to lead her away from the hut and back to the castle in silence. When they entered the common room, he removed his hold and she dashed away from him without a second thought. She didn't even stop at the bathroom as she had intended, instead, she went right for the safety of her wards and tried not to think of the aching need between her thighs or the slick that dampened her knickers.


	43. Chapter 43

**FORTY-THREE**

_**Wednesday, 19 November 1944**_

Breakfast was nearly over by the time Hermione appeared in the common room. Draco had been contemplating heading back to her dorm to see what was keeping her so long. His sigh of relief upon seeing her was short lived when he saw the pallor of her skin and the way her eyes appeared to sink into her face. "You look like shit."

Her eyes went wide at him and then she scowled. "Good morning to you too," she snapped.

Heat flared along his neck for a moment and he smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't… Are you okay?" he asked, coming to step towards her. "And tell me the truth."

"I overdid it last night."

"Overdid what?" he asked, trying to remember what they did. There hadn't been anything outside the norm. She had gone to bed at her usual time. "Did you occlude in your room?"

She shook her head and cast her eyes down to the floor. "I snuck out to the library last night. I found a book with some interesting spells and I tried them out. I thought I had researched enough, but I was wrong."

"Come on," he said, threading his fingers through hers. "You're going to the infirmary. Even if I have to drag you."

"You don't," she said, following him without resistance. "Have to drag me," she added. "I would have gone anyway. I feel nauseous."

He nodded. "We can stop at the kitchens after if you're up for it."

"You're just hoping to ditch Transfiguration."

He grinned as he pulled her through the corridor that led away from the dungeons. "I don't know what you're on about, Granger. I _love _going to class."

She smiled and shook her head at him, squeezing his hand as though she were afraid to let go. Once inside the infirmary, he took a seat in the chair next to the bed Madam Perth sat her on and zoned out as she ran some diagnostics. He studied Hermione's face, watching as she recounted her story to the Healer and then again when she was listening to the lecture about sneaking out that it resulted in. There was something off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Why didn't you have me come with you?" he asked her as Perth went to get her some potions to help.

"It was late. I wasn't sure that you'd be up," she said, looking out the window, watching the snow fall outside.

"Still, I don't like the idea of you being alone in the castle, Hermione. Especially with Riddle always lurking about. He was on patrol last night too." He didn't miss the way she tensed at the mention of the Head Boy. It left a sour taste in his mouth. "And what if you had seriously injured yourself?" His heart hammered against his chest at the thought of finding her too late. "Just don't… Don't go out alone anymore, okay? Even if you have to come to the dorm, just…"

"I'll send my Patronus next time."

He stared at her for a moment. "You can cast one?"

"It was one of the first things Harry taught us in the DA."

He rolled his eyes. "There we go with that stupid club again."

"Maybe if you weren't such an Umbridge supporter, you could have joined us."

He snorted. "As if I would ever be caught dead learning something from St. Potter."

Her retort was lost as Perth returned, but they both smirked at each other and Draco felt better. For a moment, everything was normal. Their exchange had let him know that she was okay. He just hoped that she would wake him the next time she wanted to do something reckless. Even if it was for something as mundane as a midnight trip to the library. Merlin knew he would never say no to her.

Perth administered a few different potions and then instructed her to eat something before she returned to class for the day. Then he grabbed her hand again and led her to the kitchens. "I can teach you the Patronus charm if you'd like."

"You can't."

She stopped and looked up at him with a frown. Slowly, she followed the movement of him tapping at his left forearm with his right hand. "It means nothing," she said, laying her hand over the Mark beneath his sleeve. "It doesn't define you, Draco. It'll be harder, but if you give it your all and believe in yourself, then I have faith that I'll be seeing your silver dragon in no time."

"Is that a euphemism?" he teased.

She shoved at him and turned towards the kitchens.

"How do you know it'll be a dragon?" he asked, catching up to her with a few long strides.

"Call it intuition," she said.

"What's yours?"

"An otter."

He paused and gave her a once-over with his eyes. "I don't see it."

She gave a shrug. "It makes sense if you think about it. Muggles believe that everyone has a spirit animal that represents something inside themselves they either need or have forgotten. Otters are said to symbolize playfulness and fun and are known to appear when that person's life gets too serious, they over-think, or they forgot how to have fun."

Draco maintained the slight smirk on his face. "Did you research your Patronus using Muggle texts?"

She huffed and continued moving, leaving him behind again. "Well it wasn't because I love spending time in the water. Do you know how long it takes to get this under control after a shower?" she asked, lifting up her hair.

He chuckled and held the door open for her. The elves asked them what they wanted and then they took their seat at the little table they often sat at when they skipped the Great Hall for meals. "I get it though," he said, making her pause mid bite. "It's hard enough to have fun and not take everything so serious when you've got the Dark Lord in your house. I can only imagine how much worse it is for you trying to wipe him off the face of the earth."

She smiled lightly, but didn't comment on it. "So will you try with me?"

He hesitated a moment, his eyes flickering down to where the necklace he had given her was resting in the hollow of her throat. "I think I have plenty of happy memories now."

His gaze rose up to meet hers and for the briefest moment, he saw her eyes turn to glass before she looked down, giving him a tight smile. "Even Neville produced one." She cleared her throat and pushed her plates away, leaving most of her food untouched. "So there's hope for you."

He got to his feet and reached for her hands, pulling her to hers. "Come on, let's get going."

She nodded and let him lead her back into the main hall. They were quiet as they started towards Transfiguration. It had started about the time they sat down to eat which meant they would have nearly missed a third of it when they reached the classroom. He would have just written it off and not bothered going, but if that's where she wanted to go, he would follow her anywhere.

But it wasn't until she had pulled him inside a classroom that he realized they were not going to Transfiguration. He watched as she walked to the nearest desk and hopped up onto it, wiping her palms along her thighs, smoothing her skirt. He stared at her with his back to the door and quirked a brow at her. "You sure this is a good idea?" he asked as he moved towards her.

She parted her thighs wider so he could stand between them, her hands sliding up his chest until one wrapped itself in his tie to pull him closer. "Please, Draco. I need you."

He stared down at her, his fingers curling around the edge of the desk on either side of her. "We just-" he started, his words cutting off with a hiss as her free hand cupped him over his trousers. He hardened as she massaged him the way she had learned he responded to best.

"Please," she whimpered, angling her face up towards his.

He lowered his lips to hers and groaned into her mouth as she sank her teeth into his bottom lip. Her hips rolled against the desk and her hand tightened on his cock. When she released his lip, he kissed her hard enough to bruise their mouths, his hands moving to her hips, pulling her close. She moved her hand so she could press herself against him as she rolled her hips again. His right hand moved until it was sliding up her skirt. He felt a wave of heat the closer he got to her core and he moaned at the discovery that her arousal had wept through her knickers. He sank his fingers into her, closing his eyes and dropping his head to her neck as she cried out and bucked her hips.

"Merlin, Hermione, how long have you been wet for me?" he asked.

She answered with another whine and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck as the other one tightened its hold of his tie again. When she tipped her head back slightly he could see that her eyes were glassy again and she wore a pained expression on her face. Not wanting to hurt her, he paused. Her hand came away from his neck and held his forearm in a vice as she looked at him with panic. "_Don't_!" she begged. "Don't stop. Please, Draco. Don't stop."

"Hermione-"

Her inner walls clutched fiercely at his fingers and she shoved her hips forward, tightening her hold on his arm. "Draco, I need to come. I need… I can't-"

Not wanting to hear the panic in her voice anymore, he shoved his arm forward, sinking his fingers as deep as possible within her. Her lids fluttered and she sighed with satisfaction as he picked up the pace, driving his fingers in and out of her in record time. When she came, he resisted the urge to turn and look at the door. There was no way someone hadn't heard her cries of pleasure. He stared down at her with awe, watching as pure euphoria settled her features and erased her panic. It was as if she had been in misery before and making her come was the only way to set her free.

He was so enthralled by the look on her face that he barely registered that she had freed him from his trousers. It was the touch of her hand against his bare cock that broke him out of his stupor and made his own need for release take precedence. He pushed her hands away and reached up her skirt to yank her knickers down her legs, dropping them on the floor. She pulled her skirt high and he wasted no time in joining their bodies together, both releasing a collective sigh.

Draco caught on quickly that she wasn't in the mood for taking it slow or easy. Every time he tried to slow the pace, she would whine or grab at him. The harder he slammed his hips into hers, the deeper he made their connection, the more primal her moans became. At one point, the cry that escaped her made him think he had gone too deep and actually hurt her, but she came harder than she had a moment ago on his fingers and it spurred him on. With how wet she was and how hard he was pounding away at her, he knew he wasn't going to last long, but he continued giving her every last bit of his stamina just to see that look on her face again. When he came, he immediately felt all his energy seeping into her core with his release.

Her hand went slack around the tie and she slumped forward against him. They both used the other to hold themselves up as they panted for air. He softened quickly and was pushed out by the mixture of their release. He could feel it spilling down her thighs and onto the desk, but she would have to deal with that for a moment until one of them was able to clean up.

As it was, before the fog had even cleared from his mind, the sound of the door slamming shut brought him out of his daze. He quickly tucked himself back into his trousers and spun around as he zipped them up. He stood protectively in front of Hermione at the sight of Riddle standing between them and the door. His eyes were dark with rage, but he wasn't look at him; he was looking behind him. At Hermione.

"Get out of here, Riddle."

"I am Head Boy, Draco. It is my job to catch students engaging in illicit behavior and report them."

"Report us, I don't care, just get out and leave us alone."

Riddle took a step forward and he felt Hermione grasp the back of her shirt, her fingers trembling slightly. Riddle shook his head, his lips curling dangerously. "You really are a whore."

Draco felt something in him snap and he surged forward, wand in hand. Hermione called his name, but he barely heard it as he shouted the first spell that came to mind. "_Sectumsempra!_"

The white light hit Riddle square in the chest and laid him out flat on his back. He stared down at the Head Boy, keeping his wand trained on him even as blood began to pool through his robes and onto the floor around him. He could see the pain in Riddle's gaze and his own chest ached at the memory of the same pain when Potter had used the Dark spell on him the year before.

Hermione gave a shriek and knocked his wand out of his hand as she ran to kneel by Riddle's side. She looked back at him with tears in her eyes and glossed cheeks. "Draco! Go get help! Now!"

He wanted to fight her. To tell her that he had just saved them all one hell of a headache by getting rid of him now, but the panic in her voice had him running out into the hall to seek help, the memory of his own attack playing in the front of his mind as he ran through the castle shouting at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Hermione pulled at Riddle's robes and shirt beneath until his chest was exposed. The deep gash upon his flesh was still oozing blood and when she tried to reach for her wand, he grabbed her wrist. "We-We're getting help," she said shakily. "He didn't… He didn't mean it."

His lips parted to say something, but his eyelids fluttered and his hold on her arm loosened before his body went slack. She stilled for a moment, wondering if he would actually die if help didn't arrive in time. From what Harry had told her of the time he had used the spell on Draco, Snape had been there almost immediately to heal the damage done to Draco. And since it was Snape's spell, it made sense that he knew how to counteract it. If Riddle died…

But just before she could contemplate the risk of using her own magic to make sure help never reached him, Madam Perth and a few others crossed the threshold. It was when she was being pushed out of the way did she feel his presence slip from her mind.

She stared after the procession in shock and fear as they rushed him to the infirmary. Draco had attacked him in a way that had actually hurt him despite all his precautions and the last thing he had seen was her contemplating whether or not to let him die. Wondering if she could finish the job herself.

Panic bubbled up in her chest until it forced the contents of her stomach up her throat and onto the floor. She had to fix this and soon. Before it was too late for either of them.

* * *

Once the excitement of the day had dissipated, Hermione felt the exhaustion settle in. Dippet and Perth had spent a long time questioning her and Draco on what had happened. They ended up telling the truth. That Riddle had caught them in an unused classroom. Draco confessed to firing the spell, saying that he was caught up in the moment and that Riddle had made a comment. Dumbledore had asked her if that was the truth when they were alone and she had only been able to nod.

Not caring about the looks and whispers from the others of House Slytherin, she marched down the boy's corridor and let herself into Draco's dorm. He was pacing in the middle of the room, looking frazzled. He only noticed her when the door shut, jumping slightly at her presence. "What the hell were you thinking?" she snapped, casting silencing charms around them.

It was clear from the expression on his face that that was not what he had expected upon seeing her. Surprise turned to anger and he took a menacing step towards her. "Me? What the hell were _you _thinking?" he fired back. "He called you a whore and you rushed to his side as if he were Weasley or Potter!"

"He can't be killed, Malfoy!" She took her own step forward, her anger mingling with the fear in her gut. "You just pissed him off and now there's no telling what he's going to do to us!"

"Would you rather I just sat back and listen to him degrade you?" he asked, his lips curling in disgust. "Merlin, did you yell at Potter this much when he had me bleeding out last year? Or is this rage just for me trying to defend you?"

"I threatened to burn the damn book he found the spell in!" she shouted, her hands balling into fists at her side. "I wanted him to get rid of that blasted thing since the moment he found it. It was nothing but bad news." She gestured at his chest. "Case in point. I was furious when I found out that he could have killed you."

He was surprised at that; it as written all over his face and his body relaxed a bit. But when her anger didn't subside, he bristled and sneered at her again. "Well, lucky for you, I survived. No black spot on Potter's saintly reputation."

"Did you not stop to think that if I thought for one second he would have actually died, I would have told you to get help? He's already going to try something, I just know it, but it would be twice as bad if we had just stood there, hoping he died." She swallowed hard over the perpetual lump in her throat. "Draco, he-" her throat closed, cutting off her words.

Draco was there, wrapping his arms around her, holding her up as her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. "I'm right here, Hermione. Nothing's going to happen to either of us. I won't let it. I can protect myself. I can protect you."

There was only one thing that could protect them from Riddle's wrath and she sobbed against Draco's chest as she realized what it was. She clutched him tighter, her tears soaking right through his shirt. It wasn't until he was pulling back to cup her face in his hands and wipe tears away with his thumbs that she realized she had been asking for forgiveness and whispering she was sorry over and over again.

"Hermione, you didn't do anything. There's nothing to apologize for. If he retaliates, it will be my fault. But I swear to you, I won't-"

"I love you."

The words were out of her mouth faster than she could even register the thought having crossed her mind. Draco had gone completely still for a moment, his eyes blown wide with surprise, and his lips still parted mid-sentence. For a second, she panicked, thinking it had been the wrong move, but he surged forward and captured her lips with his own.

She loved him. She had known that for awhile now. As his lips tugged at hers while he drew her towards his bed, she recalled all of their moments together in a whirlwind of imagines across her mind. From the moment they stumbled through the door in the Room of Requirement to now and all the moments in between, she knew that she loved him with every fiber of her being.

She only wished the reason for declaring it now wasn't what it was. She loved Draco Malfoy. And knew telling him was inevitable. But it was because she loved him that the price Riddle would surely demand in exchange for their lives was still too high. But as Draco declared his love for her in return, she knew she would pay whatever he asked of her so long as she could keep Draco safe.

"I love you," she repeated as she pulled him over her, cradling his body between her thighs.

"I love you too," he said, sinking into her for the second time that day. But unlike the raw need she felt for him in the classroom as she sought the release she had been twice denied the night before, this was slow and sweet. Something just for them as they continued to declare their love throughout the night.

And when he fell asleep beside her, she buried her head into his chest and begged for forgiveness because of her love for him, unaware that he was awake to hear every word that tumbled past her lips.


	44. Chapter 44

**FORTY-FOUR**

_**Friday, 21 November 1944**_

Thursday passed in a blur. Even if they hadn't wanted to keep to themselves, everyone was giving the two of them a wide berth as the rumor mill went into full effect. From the snippets of whispers she had managed to catch, the most popular one was that the three of them were involved in some sort of love triangle. She had balked when she first heard it, hating how close to home it was, even if love definitely wasn't the right word for it.

It was obvious Draco had heard the rumors too. She could tell in the way he watched her when he thought she wasn't looking. In the way he only spoke to her if he needed to. There was something off between them despite what they had confessed to each other the night before. Aside from her parents and Harry and Ron in a platonic way, she had never told anyone that she loved them. She had imagined that when she did, the feeling would be overwhelming. That the relationship between her and the other person would feel completed and solid. Right now, she felt as though they had taken a giant step backwards.

When they returned to the common room after dinner, Hermione had had enough of his mood and just retreated to her room. She curled up as tightly as she could around her pillow and just stared at the canopy until she drifted off to sleep. She hadn't even woken in the middle of the night to appease her temptation of try out more Grey magic or visit Riddle in the infirmary.

The following day went about the same as usual. The only difference was that, out of habit, Hermione found herself coming out into the common room near midnight. Last she had heard, Riddle was still in the hospital wing which left her unsure of if she should even bother going to the Astronomy Tower. If she missed a night of observation it wouldn't matter in the long run. It was also strange to note that Draco wasn't reading by the fire. She wondered if he had assumed she wouldn't be going and it left a little hurt that he hadn't even bothered to come out and check on her.

She frowned in the direction of the boy's corridor and after a split second decision, she cast the necessary charms and marched down to his dorm. She didn't even bother knocking before she barged in and shut the door behind her. Draco was sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His shoes were off and his tie was hanging on the bedpost, but other than that, he was still fully dressed.

"Did you mean it?" she asked.

He had looked up in surprise at her intrusion and then stood at her words. "Mean what?"

A hot well of tears stung her eyes and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. "When you said it back to me," she said. "Did you mean it? Or did you just say it because I said it?" She held his gaze, but when he didn't say anything, she felt the need to keep talking lest she fall apart in front of him. "Because if you didn't mean it, you shouldn't have said it. You could have said thank-"

He quelled her rambling by putting his lips over hers after a quick two strides forward. He pulled her against him, one arm behind her back and the other cupping her face and sliding back towards her hair. She surrendered to his touch, her hands clutching at his side, fisting his shirt. His lips tugged and nipped at hers, his tongue darting out to soothe the aches he left behind. When he had successfully taken all the breath from her lungs, he pulled back, but kept his forehead against hers.

"I fucking meant it."

She sighed in relief and tightened her hold on his shirt. She closed her eyes and let the tears glide down her cheeks. He pulled her even closer and she buried her head against his chest while his rested above hers. He let her cry silently against him for a few moments, stroking her back idly and massaging the back of her head.

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

He stilled around her for a moment and then pulled away enough to look at her, his knuckles going under her chin to tilt her head up. "Do you?"

"No."

"Then why are you asking me?"

She swallowed hard. "You've been keeping your distance from me since Wednesday night."

"Not because I don't love you."

"Then wh-"

"Because loving you is bloody terrifying."

Hermione went still, her lips parted from being interrupted. She had not been expecting that answer in the slightest.

"You're everything I was taught to fear and told to hate. You were the first Muggle-born I had ever met and you changed my perspective immediately. I wish I was half as brave and smart as you are, Hermione. I wish that I was more deserving of your love. You make me want to be better; do better. And it's bloody terrifying because I know I'm just going to let you down in the end."

A slow smile took hold of her lips as a few more tears slid down her face to join the rest that were still drying on her skin. "Do you remember when you asked what my hypothetical choice would be?"

"Hermione-"

"No, let me finish," she said, her eyes pleading for him to not interrupt again. He stiffened, but gave a nod. "You were upset when I asked you never to make me choose. You thought that by me asking that of you meant that I would never choose you."

He gave a curt nod.

"Asking me to choose who to save should the occasion arise would be like asking me who I loved more. That's something I could never answer. I love everyone; friends, family, you; in different ways, but the same amount. If it came down to it, I would do everything in my power to save the most amount of people. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I chose one over the other; no matter who I chose."

"I know," he said, capturing her lips again briefly. "I know and that's why I love you, Hermione. I do, I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, chasing after his lips and moving her hands to his face to keep him from moving away again. She pushed him back towards the bed. They fell into it, fully clothed, and tangled themselves in one another.

She would worry about what was to come later. For now, she wanted to allow herself a moment to bask in the warmth that was Draco's love for her. Despite her brain's best efforts to tell her it wouldn't last forever, she was determined to hold on tight for as long as she could and enjoy it. Cocooned in Draco's vice-like grip, she drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face.

* * *

Hermione jolted wake in a state of pure panic. Dread consumed her as beads of cold sweat made her clothes stick to her skin. It took her a moment to realize that it was Draco's body she was coiled around and several deep gulps of air to steady her nerves. When she stopped shaking, she carefully extracted herself from his arms and slid off the bed. She readjusted the canopy and took a moment to stretch her limbs before taking her wand from the nightstand and slipping into the adjoined bathroom.

She relieved herself and then washed her hands before turning her wand on herself to get rid of the sweat and freshen herself up. She then splashed some cold water on her face and stared at her reflection for a moment. Her mind wandered to the girl she used to be; the one that had been bouncing up and down in the backseat of her parents' car on the way to King's Cross. The one that had been bursting to get her hands on all knowledge related to magic; to put her wand to use and do good things in the world. She could sort of still see that side of herself in the mirror, but it was buried deep. Now she was just a girl trying to survive and protect those close to her.

She turned away and took a deep breath. Careful not to disturb Draco, she opened the door as quietly as she could and strode back into the room. After only a few steps, she froze in the center of the room as the dread roared back to life inside of her. Something in the air shifted and even though her eyes were cast down to the floor she could tell that _he _was there.

She swallowed hard and slowly brought her gaze up until brown clashed with dark grey in the near darkness of the room. Her mouth went dry as they stared at each other, the silence stretching around them and thickening to the point where she could feel it settling against her skin. "You… Y-you're back."

"An astute observation," he said, his voice flat.

"A-are you-"

"Drop the act, Hermione. I heard you loud and clear as my life's blood was staining the ground around me." He took a step towards her and she flinched in fear, but didn't move back. "Imagine my surprise when I slipped into your mind to discover you contemplating using your newfound magic to further aide Draco's spell in killing me faster. To prevent the arrival of the help you sent him to get." He reached her and wasted no time in shoving his hand into her hair, pulling it painfully after wrapping it in his fist. "The magic that I have been kind enough to help you learn."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, hissing in pain as he tightened his hold even further on her hair. "I didn't mean it." She blinked against tears, her eyes flickering towards the bed where Draco was, hoping that he was still asleep. "Please, don't-"

"I believe I was right in my assessment of you in the hut. How else would you explain your behavior, Hermione? Tell me, were you thinking of my hand in your cunt instead of Draco while he fucked you on that desk? Did the release he gave you ease the ache I left by denying you?"

She stumbled back in response of being shoved away the moment the words left his mouth. He turned away from her and carded a hand through his hair. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling it hammer away beneath her fingers. She took a half step forward only to stop in fear as Riddle turned towards Draco's bed. "No," she whispered, her voice trembling like her body. "No, please don't. I-I'll do anything."

He stopped his advances towards the bed. He huffed smugly and then turned to face her a moment later. "He deserves everything I want to do to him. That spell was darker than anything I have seen in a long time. Certainly not something taught in Hogwarts. He nearly killed me."

She took another half step forward, her hand outstretched tentatively before it dropped back to her side. "Please, Riddle. D-don't hurt him. I'll do anything you want. _Anything_."

He held her gaze, his eyes flashing with triumph at the thought of finally getting what he truly wanted from her. "Prove it."

She hesitated out of fear. Fear in knowing that when she moved, it would be sealing her fate. She knew this was what she had to do to protect Draco. At least until they either were able to get home or until she figured out how to harness the Grey magic and wield it without nearly dying each time. With a deep breath and a mental push to shove thoughts away, she stalked forward with false confidence, refusing to take her eyes off of Riddle.

When she was close enough to feel his breath warming her face, she sank to her knees before him. The look on his face was akin to the one he had while he watched her touch herself in the hut. Her fingers shook uncontrollably as she brought her hands up to his trousers, the belt buckle clanking loudly in the otherwise quiet of the room as she undid it. She continued to hold his gaze, the intensity of his hunger awakening something inside of her that colored her face with shame.

As she freed him from his clothes, his bottom lip disappeared between his teeth and his right hand came to rest on the top of her head. She closed her eyes then and parted her lips to take him into her mouth. It took a moment before saliva appeared and he hissed at the warmth of her mouth. She let her hands rest on his thighs, anchoring her as she alternated her techniques. With each bob of her head, swirl of her tongue, or hollowing of her cheeks, Riddle would hiss and sigh above her as well as tighten his hold on her hair.

Even as his presence slipped into her mind, she had forced all thoughts of Draco to disappear. The only thing she allowed herself to repeat was a silent plea for him not to wake up. For him to not see her like this. It was one thing for Riddle to call her a whore; she had all but made herself one by agreeing to do anything in exchange for deadly retaliation, but the thought of Draco seeing her in that light made her stomach flip.

She could tell when Riddle was close. His hips began to buck, shoving himself further into her throat. She closed her mind off and forced herself to relax. That the more she opened herself to him, the quicker he would finish. The sooner it would be over and she could wrap up this moment in a book and bury it deep within her mental library.

With one final thrust deep into her mouth, yanking her face forward to hold her there, Riddle came. She breathed through her nose as his release poured down her throat in hot, thick spurts. She was able to take most of it, but she could feel some slipping out the corners of her lips. Finished, he shoved her away from him and took off towards the bathroom without saying anything to her.

Hermione sat back against the bed Draco still slept in and used one hand to wipe at the tears and the other to remove the traces of Riddle from her skin. When she felt as though her lips would fall off, she got to her feet and took a step towards the door, only to feel a hand on her wrist. She jumped and turned to see Draco pulling her back into bed.

Her lips parted to argue that she wanted to go back to her own room, but he prevented any words by capturing her lips with his. She went still beneath him, squeezing her eyes shut as his tongue slipped beyond her parted lips to take the place where Riddle's cock had just been. Tears streamed from her eyes, spilling back into her hair as she forced herself to kiss him back, hoping that he wouldn't be able to taste the regret among the other things weighing her down her tongue.

"Don't go," he whispered, pulling back enough to let them breathe.

Unable to speak, she nodded and allowed him to wrap himself around her again like he had when they first went to sleep earlier that night. She wondered if he heard the bathroom door open or any of the sounds that Riddle made as he slipped into his own bed.

Hermione retreated to the recesses of her mind and held onto Draco as tight as she could manage. She hoped that when she woke the next morning all of this would have been a bad dream and ignoring the part of her brain that told her she knew better.

As if to make sure she never forgot, his voice filtered through her thoughts just before she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

_You belong to me now._


	45. Chapter 45

**FORTY-FIVE**

_**Tuesday, 25 November 1944**_

The few days that followed Riddle's release from the infirmary had Hermione on edge all the time. She tried her best to hide it from Draco, but she knew he noticed. It only flared her guilt that he thought it was just her normal fear of Riddle. He had no reason to suspect anything else and each time she met his gaze, told him she loved him, or heard him say he loved her back, her heart broke as shame seized her gut and made her sick.

On Tuesday, Hermione felt dread flood her system as she and Draco walked to the library after Defense. She had felt Riddle's presence in her mind as well as felt his gaze on her through most of class. She knew he would be making an appearance shortly after Draco left for Ancient Runes. She had half a mind to ask him to cut class and take her to the pitch, regardless of the weather, but every time her lips parted, the words died on her tongue.

So when the bell rang through the castle, Hermione went still in her seat and watched as he packed his things. When he saw her, he tipped his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as he studied her. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

She did. She had never wanted anything so badly in her entire existence, but she found herself shaking her head and forcing a smile. "I'll stay here where there are witnesses," she told him, knowing Riddle wouldn't let that stop him.

He stared at her for another moment with worry etched in his eyes, but he nodded and came around to kiss her goodbye. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, watching as he disappeared through the stacks to get to class.

Hermione tried to get back into the book she had been reading, but she couldn't sit still in her seat long enough to read more than one word. The anticipation and fear of Riddle's arrival had her more on edge than ever before. If it hadn't been for the ache in her jaw the next morning, she would have thought it was nothing more than a bad dream.

And just as she found herself wondering if he had something else to do, his presence slammed into her mind, jarring her in her seat. He slid into the seat across from her, placed his elbows on the table, pressed his palms together and rested them against his lips. There was a faint smirk on his lips and a simmering hunger in his eyes as he stared at her.

She swallowed hard and stared back at him, unsure of what to do. Her hands gripped at arms of her chair, her knuckles going white. Her breaths came in shallow pants as she tried to anticipate what he would demand of her here.

"Tomorrow is the new moon," he said after a moment, moving his hands to the side of his mouth.

Fear licked up her spine and she shivered. Her body tried to turn in on itself as she tried to make herself as small as possible. She gave a curt nod and forced a weary smile. "Nine o'clock then?"

"I can walk you from the common room," he said, dropping his hands to the edge of the table as he sat back in his chair.

She wet her lips, realizing too late that the action only stoked the desire in his eyes as his gaze tracked the movement. She pressed her lips together into a thin line and he tapped the edges of the table for a moment before his gaze dragged back up to hers. "I have plans…" her voice trailed off in her feeble attempt to excuse herself from enduring him any longer than necessary.

The corners of his lips lifted for a moment, but he inclined his head. "Of course." He drummed his fingers once more and then got to his feet. "See you in Astronomy," he said and disappeared, his mind leaving hers as quickly as it had entered it, leaving her stunned.

She went back to staring at her book for a bit, trying to ignore the way her tongue felt as though it were made of cotton. The more she tried to swallow, the more she remembered the way he had felt in her mouth; the way his release had hit the back of her throat as it poured down. With a violent shudder, she shoved her things in her bag and forced herself to walk calmly to the kitchens. She asked for a large glass of water and rinsed her mouth out, spitting in the sink several times. She even scrubbed at her tongue with the sleeve of her shirt, but nothing would erase the feel of him there.

Instead of going back to the library or even the dorms, she made her way towards Draco's class and paced along the wall opposite the door while she waited for class to let out. When the bell rang to dismiss everyone, she stilled and stared at the door, eager to lay eyes on him. He was one of the first people out the door and did a double take at the sight of her.

"Everything alright?" he asked, looking around the corridor.

She nodded and smiled at him. "Yeah, just wanted to see if you wouldn't mind eating in the kitchens with me."

He frowned at her for a moment. "Did something happen while I was in class?"

"No."

She had to force herself not to wince at how fast she had responded. She saw the disbelief and anger flicker in his eyes as he looked around again. "Then why are you here? Why didn't you just use your book and have me meet you there?"

She had forgotten about the books. She hadn't touched hers since writing to Riddle to tell him she was skipping their meeting. She shook her head and forced another smile. "I just felt like taking a walk. Was going a little stir crazy."

He wasn't buying it, but he sighed and gave a nod before turning and gesturing for her to take his hand. They walked towards the kitchens and ate at the little table they always did. She hoped that her stomach would digest what she'd managed to swallow. Her nerves were getting the best of her by the time lunch ended. Draco even offered to walk her to Astronomy. Riddle gave them a nod as he passed them on the way into class, his eyes lingering on Hermione.

"I'll be right here after class for you," Draco assured her once Riddle had disappeared into the room.

"Thank you," she said and ducked inside at the last minute.

Her eyes darted around the room, taking stock of the twenty or so students and Professor Daedalus. She took a deep breath when her eyes landed on Riddle at their usual desk at the front of the room, closest to the door. She forced her legs to comply, but each step towards him made her feel more and more as if she were made of stone. She tried her best to ignore him as she set her bag on the table and began extracting her things.

"Today, I would like you and your partners to take a look at your projects and come up with a short presentation for the rest of the class. I will give you ten minutes before I call the first team," Daedalus announced.

Hermione couldn't help but groan along with the rest of the class. She was all for doing the work, writing her papers, and answering questions when presented, but she hated speaking in front of groups. It wasn't fear of not knowing what to say or finding the words, it was fear of rejection. She could understand the material forwards and backwards, but the moment she started talking about it, the way people's eyes glazed over and the whispers back and forth always made her panic.

Riddle's hand on her knee made her jump out of her thoughts. He kept his hand there as she turned in her seat towards him, the heat of him against her skin made her shiver. "Should we volunteer to go first?" she asked.

"Are you in a rush?" he asked, his fingers tracing patterns on her skin.

"N-no," she stammered, clearing her throat and shaking her head. "No, I just hate speaking in front of groups."

His head tipped to the side and a few strands of hair fell out of their usual place. An image of him in the hut flashed in her mind and her throat went dry as his hand slowly began to dip beneath her skirt, his palm ghosting along her inner thigh.

"Then perhaps we should go last," he suggested, smirking as she bit her lip and glanced nervously around the classroom. "Give you time to…relax."

He shifted closer to her, making it appear as though they were discussing their notes. Her lids fluttered, her lashes kissing her cheeks as his fingers hooked around her knickers to pull them aside. She stiffened and ducked her head to hide the crimson that stained her cheeks. Riddle hummed in approval as his index finger slid between her slickened folds.

"Riddle-"

She bit down hard enough on her bottom lip to draw blood to stifle the moan that threatened to sound as he brought some of her slick to her clit and began to trace circles around the sensitive nub. "What should we focus on?" he asked, his other hand bringing his own notes closer to hers across the table. "Should we mention the new moon's effect on potions and spells or should we stick to the symbolism of change?"

"I th-think-"

"Do not think," he demanded, his voice husky. "Just tell me which you would prefer. This?" he asked, one hand pointing to his notes about effects while his other hand finally touched her clit, making her nearly jump out of her seat. "Or this?" This time, he pointed to the notes on symbolism in her book as his finger sank lower to slip inside her core.

Her lips parted and she gripped the sides of her seat hard enough she thought she might break the chair. She didn't trust her voice and her eyes kept flickering about the room. The last thing she needed was to be caught.

"Answer me."

"This," she bit out, one hand shooting out to tap at the effects.

He inclined his head and brought his finger back to her clit. Her hips moved forward slightly in attempt to add more friction and she bit at her bottom lip again to keep from crying out. "And what is it that draws your attention there?"

"M-more effective," she stammered, the words falling from her lips in hushed whines.

"How so?"

His middle finger joined his index, forming a valley around her clit, allowing him to increase his speed. This time, she couldn't stop herself from arching her hips and she turned her moan into a cough, hoping it was enough to cover it. She pitched forward to make it look as though she were getting something from her bag.

"Symbolism is o-only…" She paused to swallow hard as he brought up more slick. "Only useful if you al-already know what…" Another roll of her hips. "What the effects can be."

"Meaning?"

Her nails scratched at the wood of the desk as she resisted the urge to dig in and beg for release. "You can only really un-understand the symbolism if you know the ef-effects first."

Daedalus called on the first group to stand at the front of the class to speak of their project. Just as she had suspected during their first night of observation, this duo had picked the full moon to discuss. As they talked about their project, Riddle's mind reached out to hers and she let her eyelids flutter at the warmth that permeated her mind.

_Stop moving._

She stilled immediately and set her gaze on the students up front, despite the fact that her gaze was blank.

_Stop thinking. Just feel._

_Don't stop,_ she begged, her inner voice barely more than a whimper. _Please don't… Don't stop._

His movements were so slow, but he was in the perfect spot. Her body felt as though it were on fire. She could feel the tingle starting at the soles of her feet; could feel it work its way up to her head. She felt weightless, as if she were floating along a sea of stars as he worked her steadily towards oblivion. The classroom faded away until all that was left was her and Riddle.

_Please don't…_

Her head tilted back slightly and her lips parted as the fire below her navel exploded. She could feel the heat in every crevice of her being as Riddle continued to stoke the fire within. It was a miracle that she was able to keep from crying out. Tears streamed down her face as the euphoria pushed her into an unexplored territory of pleasure.

When the fire began to quell and the tingles subsided, she felt Riddle's fingers trail back down her thigh, leaving a streak of her slick behind on her skin. She watched, transfixed, as he brought his fingers to his mouth and cleaned them of her essence; his eyes never leaving hers. Her thighs clamped together and she began to shake uncontrollably.

She could barely concentrate on the rest of class. Each group's presentation sounded about the same. When they were finally called to the front, Hermione's mind was a fogged mess. Riddle did most of the talking and by the time class was over, she felt the self-loathing begin to settle in. When the bell rang, she was on her feet and out the door before it even finished chiming.

* * *

_**Wednesday, 26 November 1944**_

The following night, Hermione had parted ways with Draco in the hall outside the Room of Requirement. She felt his eyes on her until she disappeared out of sight on her way to meet Riddle. Each step towards the tower made her stomach heavy and by the time she reached the entry way, she found it hard to breathe. But fear of what would happen to Draco if she turned away propelled her forward, ascending the winding staircase.

Hermione knew they were no longer there to discuss their project. That in reality, they had learned all they were going to after the first few nights. It was just a way for Riddle to keep tabs on her. Another level in his show of power. Still feeling betrayed by her body's reaction to his touch the day before, Hermione decided to take matters into her own hands. She didn't pause at the landing; didn't give him any outward indication of fear or doubt, just crossed the distance between them and sank to her knees like she had in his dorm.

She blanked her mind as she took him into her mouth again, focusing on the tugs to her hair as his fingers sank into it. She listened to the wind howl around them on the outside of the wards around the tower, focusing on that instead of the sounds of him sliding along her tongue. She everything she could think of into her ministrations and before long, he was emptying himself down her throat.

He drew her up by her hair, lightening his hold just a little. Instead of giving her a moment to wipe at her mouth, his lips closed over hers and she felt his tongue dart out to taste himself. As he pushed forward, shoving her up against the railing, they stilled at the sound of the door below opening and closing again.

He stepped back, tucking himself back into his trousers and she hurried to the telescope, her heart thundering in her chest at the thought of Draco choosing now to brave his fear of the tower. Instead, it was only Claudia who took several deep breaths at the top of the stairs and waved at them.

"Sorry, I know it's for class, but someone set off a slew of traps in the main hall. Dippet asked me to find you to help do a sweep."

Riddle gave her a smile and inclined his head. "See you in the morning, Harmony," he said after turning briefly towards her before following Claudia down the stairs.

The moment they were gone, Hermione dashed down the stairs at a speed she would normally scold someone for and didn't stop racing until she reached the Room of Requirement. She paused to catch her breath, paced in front of it to ask for entry, and then slipped inside to find Draco at their usual spot.

"That was fast."

"Claudia came by. Apparently a bunch of students set off some traps."

"Ah," he said, a smile on his lips. "Well, it's back. Just like we thought it would be."

She nodded and turned her gaze towards the door. _Please let us leave_. The thought looped through her mind at breakneck speed as they stepped forward. Her fingers curved along the knob and her heart skipped a beat as it gave way and opened inwardly, just like the last time. Last time, the door had opened into nothing. They had looked around the frame, but it just disappeared into thin air. It could only be seen when looking at it from the front. This time, there was a space behind it, almost like a broom closet.

"That's how it looked when I pulled us into it," Draco said, peering around the edges of the frame.

"Draco, don't-" she started as she watched him step inside the little closet. He turned around, inspecting it to see if there was anything else, his hands running along the walls. He shook his head and stepped back out.

"We're close. Maybe the next new moon?" The hope in his voice brought tears to her eyes. The disappointment of still being here brought all of her emotions surging forward into one strangled sob. Draco's arms were around her before her knees gave out and she clung to him. "Hermione-"

"I just want to go home," she cried though her sobs, wondering if her words were even coherent enough to be heard.

They must have been, because he responded. "I know you do. And we will. We'll get back there. You'll see everyone again, Hermione. I promise you we'll get home."

She knew he was uncomfortable with her tears, but she couldn't turn them off. All she kept thinking was that since they weren't able to go home now, that meant there was another month. Another month of Riddle's hands on her; of his cock in her mouth. Another month of his threats against Draco. Another month of lies and guilt to twist away at her insides.

And there was nothing to say the following month would send them home either. She was stuck here with a fate worse than death and there was no telling how long she would have to endure.


	46. Chapter 46

**FORTY-SIX**

_**Friday, 28 November 1944**_

Draco had understood Hermione's break down in the Room of Requirement. Disappointment had run rampant through his body upon the discovery that they still weren't able to return to their time. Granted, he still had his reservations about going back to uncharted territories, but he was ready to be done with Riddle. While he was mad at her for making him seek help, he understood her reasoning. Since he had survived, Draco was just counting down until he did something to retaliate. He didn't like the constant cat and mouse feeling he got whenever Riddle looked their way.

Draco watched Hermione closely the following day. He noticed her eyes had sunken in a little more and her aura was filled with nothing but gloom. He tried his best to cheer her up. He constantly reminded her how much he loved her whether it be with the actual words or conveying it via a kiss, a touch, or a look. The fact that it eased only a small portion of her worry made his heart ache.

He had promised to protect her and he was failing miserably.

Friday morning, she had seemed a little better. She had brightened almost considerably when she was reminded that she didn't have to go to the Astronomy Tower that night. As it was, Riddle was tied up in preparations for the Quidditch game the following day. It was Hufflepuff versus Slytherin and if they won, there was going to be a party in the dungeons. Being Head Boy and a Slytherin, he had seemed to take it upon himself to make sure the party went off without a hitch. Everyone knew the party would be held regardless if they won or not.

Instead of parting ways down their separate corridors, Draco tugged her towards his dorm. She stopped short and tried to tug her hand from his grasp, but he refused to let go. He proceeded to pull out his wand and cast the necessary charms. "Draco-"

"He won't bother us," he said, turning to see the pure panic on her face. "I promise. I won't let him hurt you."

He watched as she reigned in her emotions and gave him a short nod. He was half impressed at the fact she had learned to school her features after a few short months in Slytherin and half suspicious as to how she had learned so fast. Her fingers tightened around where they laced with his and he continued to lead them towards his dorm.

They were quiet upon entry and continued to make as little sound as possible as they took off their shoes and climbed into bed. All signs pointed to Riddle being behind the curtains pulled around his bed and Draco resisted the urge to make their presence known in some small way. But he had promised Hermione they wouldn't be bothered and let it go.

He drew the curtains of his own bed around them and watched as she cast a few charms. He assumed they were silencing charms and he quirked a brow at her. "I thought-"

She cut him off by laying her lips over his after yanking him closer from where they knelt in the middle of the bed facing one another. "Don't think," she whispered against his lips, her hands moving to his shirt to undo the buttons. When she reached the last one, she placed her palms flat on his abdomen and began running them up until they curved around his shoulders. Gently, she pushed his shirt back until it pooled behind him.

Her lips sought his jaw and then traveled down his throat. He shivered under her touch, reveling in the way his skin warmed in the wake of her skimming fingers. She traced along his scar, the planes of his chest, and thread through the trail of curls that disappeared beneath the waistband of his bottoms. She shifted closer, her hands undoing his fly and reaching for his cock at the same time her lips latched onto his neck and sucked at his skin.

He hissed at the sting of her love bite and at the feel of her hand wrapping around his cock. He only let her stroke his length a few times before he pulled her head up. She tilted hers to the side and moaned softly as his teeth scraped her skin; her hand tightened around him and he thrust against her palm. He wasn't sure if he would have the resolve to keep this pace, but he was determined to try.

He brought his hands up between them and began to undo the buttons on her shirt in kind. His hands sought her breasts, pushing the material away as best he could given she was still stroking him. He had yet to see her in a bra and as he traced her scars, he wondered if it hurt her to wear one. She moaned as he rolled her nipples between his fingers, a hum of approval coming from him as they pebbled from his touch.

When his hips began to jerk more than he could stand, he extracted her hand from him and vanished the rest of their clothes. He drew her over him and moaned as he brushed between her folds, her slick coating him instantly. She reached between them and moved his cock into position before promptly sinking down on top of him. They both moaned in pleasure as he filled her to the brim.

He placed one hand on her hip as the other sought her clit, rubbing as she began to ride him. Her head tipped back and he watched the way her breasts bounced from her movements. The sounds of her moans and whines combined with the sound of sweat slicked skin was enough to make him shatter right then and there, but he was determined to give her what she needed first. He moved the hand on her hip up to her breast and began to knead it, increasing the sounds of her moans. He took over the pace, thrusting up beneath her at record speed.

It never ceased to amaze him how glorious she looked when she came undone for him. Especially in this position. He could see every detail of her face, the way her eyes closed and rolled back behind her lids. The way her nose scrunched slightly and her lips parted in various stages of a scream for pleasure. The wildness of her hair. It reminded him of Sixth Year when her Draught of Living Death had gotten the better of her.

The best part was as she was coming down from her high. When she would pitch forward and her palms would smack against his chest. She would stare down at him, her eyes blazing golden fire and the tiniest of smirks on her lips.

Had he not been so intent on memorizing her this way, he would have missed the way her eyes flickered to the left for a moment. The shadow of fear that crossed her face as well as the fresh spurt of slick that coated his cock inside of her.

She gave a squeak of surprise as he flipped them over, reaching down to hike one of her legs up and push it towards her chest as far as it could go without hurting her. As she closed her eyes and ground her head against the pillows, he dared to look where she had and found Riddle's gaze fixated on them. There was a small part in his dormmate's curtains and just enough light where he could see the glint in Riddle's eyes. There was a gap in theirs as well, allowing him to see in.

And had Riddle's gaze not been focused so intently on Hermione, he would have seen the murderous rage in Draco's eyes.

But his focus was redirected as she clutched around him and cried his name over and over again with her second release. When she opened her eyes again, she reached up to touch his chest, a small smile on her lips. "You're mine, Hermione. Say it."

She nodded. "Yours. All yours."

"Your heart," he said, slamming into her harder. "Your soul." She moaned his name loudly. "Your body." He grunted as his hips began to jerk. "All of it belongs to me."

"Yes! _Draco_, all- _Yours_!"

Her third orgasm brought on his release, but he continued snapping his hips, his cock slipping in and out of her with more ease. "Mine," he repeated. "Just as I am yours."

"I love you," she said, clawing at his chest as a fourth, but much less powerful orgasm wracked through her body.

"I love you too," he echoed, collapsing on top of her after chasing her last release with another one of his.

Completely spent, he rolled off of her and held her tightly in an embrace, not caring that her hair did everything it could to choke him. He risked a glance towards Riddle's bed once he caught his breath only to find that the curtains had been redrawn. With a satisfied smirk, he tightened his hold on Hermione and closed his eyes.

* * *

_**Saturday, 29 November 1944**_

Hermione was pretty sure it was the snow, but she was twice as miserable at this Quidditch game than she had been the last one. A small portion of it may have been six years of rivalry with her new house that she couldn't let go of and the thought of them winning still left a sour taste in her mouth. But, for as much as she tried to stay away from parties at all costs, she was glad to back inside the castle. As was par for the course, there was no time wasted in turning the dungeons into absolute chaos. Pretty soon there wasn't any drink that hadn't been spiked and celebratory charms were flying around left and right.

She spent some of her time with Draco and then some time with her roommates and other classmates that had stopped by the dorm when they heard of the party. She forced herself not to think about her homework assignments or the solitude of the wards around her bed. Instead, she focused on the moment and the escape the constant fun and games provided her. She missed this with her friends back home.

At one point, Kerus and Avery approached Draco and asked him to join them on a replenishment run from the kitchens. She knew his glance around the common room was for Riddle's whereabouts as he hadn't crossed either of their paths since coming back from the game. She smiled and waved him off, making sure to stick close to her roommates.

There was far too much commotion for him to try anything.

Wasn't there?

When a group of girls from Ravenclaw approached her roommates, Hermione felt that awkwardness settle over her and stepped back. She found herself leaning against the wall near the fireplace, watching the party take place around the rim of her cup.

"May I offer you a drink?"

Riddle slid between her and the party, forcing her eyes up to his with the movement. He held one hand out to her with a full cup. She stared down at the near empty one in her hand and then back up to his eyes, holding his gaze as she tipped the cup towards him. "No thanks. Already got my own."

"A refill, then."

Her lips tugged into a half smile. "No thank you," she said, her voice a bit harsher. "I've reached my limit anyway."

"I assure you it is not poisoned."

She couldn't stop her eyes from rolling at his comment. "And why not? Because poison is a woman's weapon?" She finished the contents of her cup and vanished it before snatching the one he offered her out of his hands. "How very nineteen-forties of you."

His lips curved into a smile; one that was so genuine she was taken aback. It shocked her almost as much as the two times he had apologized to her. "When in Rome."

She sobered as he took a half step closer to her, the stone wall biting into her back through her dress. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for Draco in the hopes that they had returned. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if Riddle hadn't set it up and arranged for Draco to be removed from the common room. Panic began to settle in and she pressed a hand to her chest when she was unable to catch her breath.

She flinched as his mind slipped into hers. She had gotten so used to him being there that most days, she didn't mind the warmth that he provided. She had refused to acknowledge why he was able to calm her nerves when he was usually the one that frazzled them. However, after their last few encounters, it just made her skin crawl. She slammed up her mental walls and pushed him out, chest heaving with effort. "Get out."

Anger flashed in his eyes and warning bells sounded in the recesses of her mind. Gooseflesh erupted all over her body, but she held her ground against him. "I thought we had a deal?" he asked. Despite the noise level of the crowd around them, his voice reached her ears as if his lips were against her skin. "Anything I wanted."

She winced at the pain of her inability to catch her breath. "Not now… I-"

"Perhaps Draco's claim from last night has you in need a reminder of who you truly belong to."

As he advanced again, Hermione reacted on instinct. She lashed out with the hand that held the full cup he had given her and tossed it in his face. From the time it took for the cup to slip from her fingers and clatter to the floor, she had realized what she'd done and took off, but not before she saw the rage tinting his eyes red. She sprinted through the crowd, ignoring the stitch in her lungs from the lack of oxygen and the pain in her chest from the way her heart hammered in fright.

She knew he was following her like a snake in the grass stalking its prey. She just had to reach her room and slip behind her wards. Once she was there, she would be able to catch her breath.

But she never made it to her dorm.

Hermione was just a few steps away from her door when she felt one arm loop around her waist and a hand clamping over her mouth. His palm silenced her screams; screams that were lost over the music of the party anyway. He dragged her across the hall and into a common bathroom. Once behind doors, she heard the locks click into place and felt him take her wand and toss it away. She struggled against him, but she knew what was coming; knew that it was inevitable. She had provoked him until he snapped.

She had been wrong before. _This_ was what he wanted from her all along.

She cried out as he slammed her, face-first, towards the counter. She coughed and sputtered as the force knocked what was left of her already low oxygen from her lungs. Her vision blurred as he shoved her upper half against the counter, her head cracking against the edge of the sink. She felt something trickle across her forehead and didn't have to see it to know it was blood.

He kicked her feet apart and his hands hiked up the skirt of her dress. She continued to struggle despite having no means of escaping in this state. She felt her knickers being tugged from her body at a hurried pace. Her voice was muffled against the counter where his magic pinned her down, making her involuntary noises more inaudible than they would have been anyway.

She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to cry as he brushed his cock through her folds. He hummed in approval at finding her sufficiently wet and ready for him. A shiver coursed its way down her spine at the way her body responded to this type of behavior. She didn't _want_ to want him. She didn't. Not like this. But as he buried himself all the way to the hilt, she realized she didn't have a say. Then again, she never really had.

She heard him hiss at the feel of being surrounded by her inner walls. They were clutching and fluttering around him as her body adjusted to his. "I had thought with the amount of time Draco spends between your legs, you would not be so tight."

She whimpered at his comment and felt a tug below her navel when he began to draw back out of her. Betrayal licked up her spine as the sound of her body's reaction to him sounded through the room. When Riddle slammed back into her with full force, he was fully coated in her slick. He groaned at the sensation and she felt him shudder at her back.

"I should summon him back here," he threatened. "I should make him watch as you take my cock like the whore that you are. Repay the favor of last night's little performance by showing him that you belong to _me_. Not him."

One of her sobs broke into a moan as he hit a spot inside of her she didn't know existed. The sheer force of his pace was giving her all the right amount of friction in almost all the right places. She kept her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to clamp down on the sensation building at the back of her mind.

A strangled cry left her throat raw as he wrapped a hand in her hair and yanked her backwards so she wasn't completely bent over the counter. She stared at the mirror before her, catching Riddle's gaze in the reflection. The look on his face was pure primal need as he continued to pound away at her. She flattened her palms along the edge of the counter to provide some resistance, to keep it from jabbing into her stomach again.

He tipped her head to the side by her hair and she hissed as his other hand slid in front of her. She cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure as his finger swiped across her swollen bundle of nerves at the same time his teeth lodged into the curve of her neck, closer to the shoulder. The sensation had her coming in a way that she had never experienced before and when she came back down from the high, she was both numb and boneless.

She sagged against him, no longer struggling in the slightest. Instead, her pants were more like mewls as he continued to rut behind her. She heard him inhale sharply as his rhythm fell out of sync and a moment later, his release was mixing with hers inside of her. He collapsed against her, shoving her into the counter again. They both panted for air, remaining joined until he softened and slipped out of her, their combined slick immediately dripping down onto her thighs.

She remained in place, her body trembling. She heard him redressing behind her and when he was done, he gently turned her towards him and handed her her knickers, fully repaired, as well as her wand. She reached for her wand first, but he held it back for a moment. "Leave it."

Hermione's trembling worsened as fresh tears pricked at her eyes. Not only had he forced himself upon her, but now he was making her wear the evidence between her thighs like a scarlet letter on her blouse. She hadn't really considered that she was capable of getting pregnant and panic settled in as she realized he could have very well knocked her up. And that her chances would increase the longer he forced her to leave his essence on her skin.

"Please, I-"

"When you remember who you belong to, there will be no need for such reminders."

With great difficulty, she redressed, wincing uncomfortably at the pain and the dampness between her thighs. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stared at her reflection with horror. There was a small cut on her head from hitting the sink and a bruise forming on the curve of her shoulder from his bite. Not to mention the tear stained face, bloodshot eyes, and wild hair. She was a right mess and felt nothing but guilt, shame, and disgust by the sight of herself.

"You can cover these up on your own tomorrow," he said, aiming his wand at her. She was too wrapped up in her emotions to even bother being frightened by the action of him casting disillusionments on her head and neck.

She brought up her own wand when he dropped his and used it to tame her hair. She then splashed water on her face and then dried herself off before cowering with her back against the sink. When she thought it was over, that he was going to leave, he caught her off guard and captured her lips with his. She stilled and tried to shrink back as much as possible. It was brief and he pulled away a moment after initiating. He cupped her jaw lightly and gave her that signature smirk of his.

"You really have put things in perspective for me, Hermione. I hope you come to appreciate my sacrifices."

Her saliva turned to ash in her mouth as his words twisted her gut like a knife. The irony of his talk of sacrifices made her want to vomit right then and there. But before she made it worse for herself by saying what was on her mind, he stepped back and opened the door. He crossed the threshold first and she took a moment to pull herself together before following him out into the hall.

They both stopped short at the sight of Kalista coming out of their dorm. She stared at them with surprise, but soon her eyes began to narrow with suspicion and the smile that graced her lips was tight and full of judgement. Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor and prayed to all the gods that she wasn't thinking what she knew she was.

"Everything okay?" she asked, looking more at Hermione.

"She had a little too much to drink. Almost did not make it to the loo," Riddle answered for her, his voice a tone that didn't allow for arguments. "As Head Boy, it is my duty to ensure everyone's safety. Miss Granger was in need of an escort and Draco was not around."

Kalista nodded and smiled again. "Are you okay now?" she asked, looking at Hermione.

"Yeah, I just needed a break from everything."

"Draco came back and asked where you were so I volunteered to check our room. I saw you come this way," she said and pulled her hair over one shoulder. "I'll let him know you'll be right out," she said and walked away, leaving Hermione in a state of panic.

She gripped Riddle's arm and gestured after Kalista. "She thinks… She's going to tell Draco what she saw. Riddle-"

He grabbed her hand and removed it from his arm, that cold smirk on his face again. "That, Hermione," he said, his voice low as he dipped his head close to hers. "Is not my problem."

She stared at him with her jaw dropped in awe as he walked away from her as well. It took her a moment to pull herself together and rejoin the party in the hopes that she got to Draco before Kalista did. As it was, she didn't seem to be near him yet, but when she entered, he gave her a once over and picked up on her duress.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, just a little overwhelmed."

"Hermione-"

"Please, Draco. I'm fine. You're here now. I'm fine." She wrapped her arms around him and melted into him as he crushed her to him in return. For the rest of the night, she spent it as though she were an actress playing a role.

And by the end of the night, she had almost convinced herself.


	47. Chapter 47

**FORTY-SEVEN**

_**Tuesday, 2 December 1944**_

Draco sat across from Hermione in the library on Tuesday. As usual, he found himself unable to concentrate on his notes or assignments when she had her nose buried in a book. He enjoyed how animated she was while she read. The way her eyes would widen and then narrow in scrutiny. The way her nose would scrunch when she disagreed and the small grievances she would utter under her breath.

It made him smile to see her like this. As if she were back to normal. Something had happened at the party on Saturday. Even if he hadn't grown to know her like he had these past few months, he would have at least picked up on that much. But all he had been able to get out of her was that she was overwhelmed with all the people around her and she went to the loo for a moment to herself. Everything he knew about Hermione and her anxiety around crowds told him that there was no reason to doubt her. That it was just classic Granger.

But there was that overpowering sense of doubt at the back of his mind that told him there was more to it than that.

Sunday, like most of the student body, especially Slytherin House, Draco had slept well into the next day. When he woke, Hermione was no longer in bed next to him. Instead, he had found her curled up in her own bed with tears still drying on her cheeks, but still asleep. He had been tempted to slip into her mind and erase her nightmares, but she had woken with a start and put on that mask she had developed too easily.

She was still a little off as far as his instincts were concerned, but outwardly she appeared to be the same old Hermione Granger.

A smirk took hold of his lips as he looked around the library. They weren't in their normal seats as a group of Fourth Years had beaten them to it. Which worked for what he had in mind because they had found themselves a small table off to the far wall. The selection of books around them were probably the dustiest things in the castle; a clear indicator that the subjects were past their prime.

He studied her carefully and moved slowly as to not break her concentration. He slid out of his seat and crawled beneath the table until he was crouched before her. He used his wand to scoot her chair back and she gave a stifled shriek as he gently pried her knees apart.

"Draco!"

She squirmed and tried to shove him away and get up, but he laid his hands on her thighs and looked up at her. "Just keep reading."

She looked around the room with panic in her eyes and shook her head. "There are too many people."

"Says the girl who blew me in the Quidditch stands," he said without missing a beat. "_During _a game."

She turned a lovely shade of red that made him grin wolfishly up at her. His fingers walked across the flesh of her thighs beneath her skirt as he pleaded with his eyes at her. She whined in the back of her throat and sighed before tipping her head back and closing her eyes.

"Is that a yes?" he asked and after a moment, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded.

He smirked again and pushed her skirt up, tucking it around her so that it stayed out of the way. He then let his hands glide up her skin until his fingers could curl around her knickers and drag them down. He removed them from her legs with ease and then placed his hands at the backs of her knees, lifting them over his shoulders. She inhaled sharply above him and took the initiative to place her feet on the table behind him, her legs falling open for him. He went his lips and then closed the distance to taste her.

She moaned quietly and he felt her slide forward on the chair just enough. He felt one of her hands in his hair, her fingers just threading through his locks as his tongue ran up the length of her slit. He hummed against her as pushed the muscle into her opening. She immediately clenched at him, begging for more, but he noticed the way she winced. He pulled his head up and looked at her.

She shook her head at his silent question and pushed his head back down. He took her word for it and resumed his ministrations, alternating between tasting, licking, and sucking at her clit in between devouring all she had to offer. He told himself if she did it again, he would stop. He lifted his right hand to her thigh and she laid her hand over top of his.

Distantly, he heard the sound of the bell and when she tried to move, he tightened his hold on her and shook his head against her lap. "Draco, class-"

"Fuck class," he mumbled, moving to nip at the inside of her thigh. His gaze flickered upwards as she looked around at the shuffling sound of students coming and going. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

She shook her head immediately, her eyes begging. "No," she replied, her voice faltering. "Don't… Don't ever stop."

He didn't think he could get as hard as those words made him just then. He licked his lips, moaning at the taste of her there and inclined his head. "Then quit moving."

She nodded again and sighed with relief as he leaned in again. He traced figure eights up and down her slit, making sure to alternate missing and hitting her clit at different intervals. He could feel the tremble in her thighs and judging from the way her fingers were practically ripping his hair out of his head, she was close to coming. Her moans were still stifled, but they were becoming more frequent. And soon, with one well timed suckle to her clit, her body seized with a heavy sigh before she fell apart around him. He lapped at her through her orgasm and pulled away when she was too sensitive to let him continue.

Licking his lips and wiping them on the back of his hand, he got off the floor and slid in to the seat beside her. He summoned her knickers and after she caught her breath, she cleaned herself up, slid back into her knickers, and smoothed down her skirt. "You really should go to class," she said pointedly.

He sighed and smirked at her. "Next time will you please keep reading the damn book?" he asked as he stood to pack his things.

"Next time?" she squeaked.

He grinned and winked at her. "I've had you in the pitch, my bed, my childhood bed, a classroom, and now a library. I want you everywhere, Hermione. All the time."

She looked down, but he still saw her blush profusely. "Technically you've only tasted me here and in the pitch."

He groaned as the strain of his pants became borderline painful. "Please tell me you plan on letting me fix that technicality," he begged.

She swallowed hard and then looked up at him, a slight tilt to her head. "I can be persuaded."

"Thank Merlin."

She laughed and it brought a smile to his face. She packed her things as well and then reached for his hand when she came to stand beside him. "I'll walk you to class," she said and began to lead the way.

On the way out, he did a double take at the sight of Riddle down one of the stacks near where they had been. He smirked at his dormmate and licked his lips for added measure. He hoped he had seen them; watched as he made his witch come under his tongue. Maybe the more Riddle saw that she was Draco's, he would leave her alone.

"Meet me in the kitchen's after for lunch," she said and kissed him goodbye once they arrived at the classroom for Ancient Runes.

* * *

After class let out, Draco stayed behind a moment to finish his conversation with Kerus and the Hufflepuff that had partnered with them for the day. As he stepped into the hall, Kalista pushed off the wall and fell into step next to him. "Hey, Draco, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He looked around the corridor as the majority of people filtered towards the Great Hall for lunch and nodded. Hermione knew he was coming; he could take a minute to talk to her dormmate. "Sure, what's up?"

"Has Harmony spoken to you about what happened on Saturday?"

He looked around again and then gently cupped her elbow before leading her off to the side near one of the windows. "She told me that she was overwhelmed and went to catch a breath. She gets anxious in crowds like that."

Kalista nodded and he saw the conflict in her eyes. "I guess I could see that," she muttered. "It's just… When she came out of the bathroom with Tom-"

"What?"

He hadn't meant to make her jump, but he couldn't contain the rage that boiled up inside of him at her words.

Kalista gave him a pained expression and he forced himself to soften his features. "She didn't look very good. Tom said it was that she'd had too much to drink and needed help to the loo. It makes sense if she wasn't feeling well, but it was just… Odd."

He bristled at that. He remembered Hermione having one drink. One. One that she had been nursing for quite some time and still was when he left. "Odd how?"

"Someone said they saw her throw her drink in his face and when I saw her…" She let her voice trail off and smiled apologetically. "I don't want to get in the middle of anything."

"The rumors are just that," he assured her with gritted teeth. He forced himself to remain calm so he could get all the facts straight. "He just escorted her to the loo?"

"I'm pretty sure they were both in there."

"How long?"

"I- I don't know, Draco. You should really talk to Harmony. I have to go."

He watched her walk away and leaned back against the wall, letting his knuckles scrape briefly along the jagged stone. He felt as though he had been hit by the Hogwarts Express. He had left the party for five, maybe ten minutes. He had left Hermione with her friends. She had been herself; smiling and having a good time. No Riddle in sight. Then when he had returned, Hermione wasn't there and he'd asked Kalista to check her room and see if she was in there. Hermione hadn't said anything upon her return about seeing Riddle. In fact, she had avoided all questions pertaining to the party whenever it came up.

His mind raced with thoughts of all kinds while his gut told him he already knew the reason. He just didn't want it to be true. He would get to the bottom of it. He just needed a way to talk to Riddle. A way that Hermione wouldn't have any idea about.

_"Y-you're book," she stammered. "The one I linked to mine. Where is it?"_

_"In my bag."_

_"I wrote to you," she whispered._

The memory of that day came rushing back to him. He had recalled the panic in her eyes as she brought it up; the way her voice trembled and fell when she said she had wrote to him. But he hadn't received any messages. The book never warmed or gave any indication she had written him.

He thought of the other day when she had met him after class; the day where he had asked about her book and she played it off as having gone for a walk.

Lastly, he recalled when she had first made the books. She had explained to him later that she had gotten the idea from the first Horcrux they destroyed. The diary.

Riddle.

It always came back to _him._

Draco pushed himself away from the wall and made his way towards the kitchens. He needed to cool down and find a way to get Hermione's book from her. He had theory to test.

For the rest of the day and the next, Draco watched Hermione and Riddle like a hawk. He tracked their every move, every interaction. He cataloged everything they did against what he thought he knew. He recalled Hermione's nightmares and wondered how many of those were based on reality. He stacked what he knew against what Kalista had told him on Tuesday as well.

Wednesday night, as they cozied up in front of the fireplace in the mock Gryffindor tower, he came to the conclusion that something was going on. He knew he had had this thought before; that either she didn't remember the incidents after they happened or she did and he wasn't forcing her compliance. Either scenario left a sour taste in his mouth. One thing he knew for sure was that the book was a key piece.

When Hermione went to the bathroom before they needed to head back to the dorms, Draco removed the book from her bag and stashed it into his own. He had to think about his next move, but he intended on making one soon.

* * *

_**Wednesday, 3 December 1944**_

Each night that she spent in her own dorm, Hermione found herself in the bathroom practicing Grey magic by altering her appearance. Wednesday night was no different. Draco had made an excuse to turn in early and she tried not to take it personally. Something had happened between when she walked him to class to him meeting her in the kitchens the day before. But she couldn't fault him for keeping secrets when she had been keeping rather large ones of her own.

But after a whole day of a strange indifference, Hermione's guilt prevented her from sleeping. Instead of going back to her bed, she slipped out the door and took off towards the library. She sat at the back of the room on a windowsill that overlooked the grounds. She could see the hut in the distance and tried not to focus on it too much. Instead, she thought of the plants that Hagrid always tried so hard to keep alive. Of the rose bush that she had only seen bloom once in Fourth Year.

Just as with changing her appearances and bringing the bird back to life, she wondered if she could push more boundaries. She spread her palms before her and concentrated on her magic. She thought of the roses Hagrid had been so proud of. They were small and yellow; beautiful. She focused on her breathing; slow breaths in and slow breaths out.

Her eyes went wide she felt the air shift above her palms. Slowly, her magic lifted up from her skin in dust like particles, swirling and knitting together to form the yellow rosebud in her thoughts. She smiled in triumph as it settled into her palm, registering that she only felt faintly nauseous in her endeavors.

"Impressive."

She wasn't surprised that Riddle had sensed her leaving the dungeons and followed her here. She curled her fingers around the flower and it disappeared in a burst of colorful smoke. "I suppose I should thank you."

"It is long overdue," he said, moving to stand beside her, his hips resting near her shoulder.

"Conjuring the rose didn't make me die, so there's that."

"How fortunate for us," he said, reaching down to pull her to her feet.

She didn't say anything as he spun her towards the window and gently bent her forward at the waist. She swallowed hard and stared out at the hut as he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her pajama bottoms and pulled them along with her knickers down her legs. She widened her stance automatically and moments later he was pushing into her.

She steadied herself with her palms flat against the window. She barely registered his hands on her hips as he rocked in and out of her at a steady rhythm. This was nothing like their encounter at the party. She supposed she was grateful for that, though it still shattered her soul.

She continued to stare at the hut and think of nothing but yellow roses while he took what he wanted from her. When he was finished, he bent down to bring her clothes back up around her waist and left without a word. She only knew he was gone by his retreating reflection in the panes of glass where she had disturbed the frost with her hands.

Ignoring his release that pooled in her knickers, she sat at the windowsill again and conjured up another rose, her tears falling on her cheeks like the snow on the window.


	48. Chapter 48

**FORTY-EIGHT**

_**Thursday, 4 December 1944**_

Thursday, Hermione had tried to contain her relief when Professor Daedalus informed everyone that he was cancelling their observation night for this week. That he was going to be using the Astronomy Tower for First and Second Years. Something to do with the shooting stars or alignments of the planets. Hermione had stopped paying attention.

"Good thing it's not a new moon," she muttered as they were packing up to leave.

The look Riddle gave her made it clear he did not share her relief or sentiments. "Yes," he drawled. "What a relief." She slung her bag over her shoulder and gave him a nod before she turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist and tugged her back. "Restricted section tonight. Midnight."

Her throat tightened and her mouth went dry, but she gave a curt nod. He released her wrist and she didn't hesitate to leave the classroom again. Draco was waiting for her across the hall and she resisted the urge to fling her arms around him and never let him go. Instead, she thread their fingers together and tugged him towards the stairs. He said nothing as she led him to the Room of Requirement.

When they stepped inside to find Draco's bedroom at the Manor, he quirked a brow at her and reached for her bag, setting both of theirs by the door. "Didn't think you'd want to see this room again."

"I really like your bed," she said with a half smile, walking towards the piece of furniture.

He came to stand beside her at the foot of the bed and curved a knuckled under her chin, tilting her face up. "What's gotten into you lately?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.

"I'm sorry, am I too much for you?" she teased.

"Hermione," his voice was soft, drawing away her humor.

She wet her lips and reached up to place her hands on his chest, her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. "I love you," she replied. "I like making love to you. It's the only way I can clear my head and forget about everything else." And she desperately needed to forget. Forget what she had done so far; what she would continue to do for the foreseeable future. For each encounter she had with Riddle, she was determined to erase his touch and replace it with Draco's.

He stared at her intently for a moment before his lips tugged upwards. "Well, when you put it that way…"

She smiled in return and closed her eyes as his lips descended upon hers. His kiss was slow and sweet. With each move of his mouth, each caress of his tongue, she felt her body come alive with need. For a moment, Riddle's face danced in her mind, but she surged forward mentally and clawed at it, tearing it down and forcing it away. Instead of shoving up her defenses, opened her eyes again and sighed with relief at the sight of Draco.

Painstakingly slow, they began to undress one another. It was as if time had stopped for them to have this moment and they carried on like there was nowhere they had to be. Like there was nothing else they had to do. When every layer had been successfully peeled away, Draco pulled back from her and led her around to right side of the bed. He sat her down on the edge and gestured for her to scoot back. As she laid herself back among the pillows, he crawled in after her and knelt by her feet.

He took his time devouring every inch of her skin. He started with her ankles and worked his way up her legs, altering back and forth between the two sides. He smiled wickedly up at her as he purposefully skirted the place she craved him most and she whimpered with need. He tsked her and continued kissing his way up to her. By the time he reached her lips again, she was soaking, her core clenching at the emptiness, begging to be filled.

Not wanting to rush, she pushed at him until they rolled and he was the one on his back. She smiled down at him, nipping at his bottom lip before copying his actions and doing the same to him. She wanted to commit every inch of him to memory. The scars, the curves, the taste; everything. She wanted to be able to close her eyes on any given day and picture him as if he were right there beneath her touch.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, despite the mischievous gleam in his eyes as he asked.

He grinned and gestured for her to straddle him, but as she moved to do so, he pushed at her hips, guiding her to turn her back to him. "Lean forward."

"Draco-"

"Please?"

She swallowed hard and leaned in, resting herself on her elbows near his hips. His cock twitched near her face and she let her tongue dart out to taste him. He groaned and reached for her hips, pulling her back to where he wanted her. She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw her knees near his head. She saw the way he stared at her core with delight and she felt his hands on the globes of her rear.

Realization that he was going to taste her at the same time she sucked his cock made her shiver with pleasure and she relaxed ever so slightly. She wet her lips and adjusted herself so she could reach out and take his hardened length into her hand, her fingers curling and stroking lightly. He groaned again and she joined him as his tongue darted out to taste her.

He pulled her closer and she leaned in to take him into her mouth. She moaned around him and he cursed into her before sucking hard at her clit in response. She closed her eyes and hollowed her cheeks, bobbing up and down. There was something wickedly sinful about what they were doing. She had never thought she would be this person, but with each flick of his tongue lapping through her folds, she found that she cared less and less.

She could feel herself cresting and knew from the way his hips kept coming off the bed as he tried to bury himself deep in her throat, he was close too. In a flurry of movement, she found herself pinned beneath him with her legs around his waist and his forearms caging her head in. His lips lowered to hers as they tasted one another again and before she knew it, he was stretching her core and filling her to the brim.

It only took a handful of thrusts before she was screaming his name into the ether as all of her senses became overridden with pleasure. He picked up the pace, his pubic bone grinding against her in a way that prolonged her high. When she could see straight again, she pushed forward and rolled so she was on top. He hummed in approval and he reached up to cup a breast in each hand, watching as she tossed her head back and rode him.

He surged forward so that they were both sitting. Her arms wound around his neck as he gripped her hips and dropped his head to the curve of her shoulder. She thread her fingers through his hair and pressed his head closer to her skin. The sounds of skin slapping against skin along with their moans permeated the air around them, spurring on their lust filled haze.

"I love you," she moaned as he sent her over the edge for the second time.

"I love you," he echoed between nips at her skin as he followed her release with his own.

Sated, he leaned back, pulling her with him until they collapsed on the pillows. His hand splayed over her scars and his nails skimmed over them with the faintest of touches. The rest of their night was spent wrapped up in one another in whatever position they could manage. By the time they drifted off into sleep, Hermione had all but forgotten Riddle's demand that she meet him. Instead, she stayed right where she was; at ease in Draco's embrace.

* * *

_**Friday, 5 December 1944**_

The following day, she could feel Riddle's anger. It rolled off of him in waves, but he barely looked in her direction. She kept her eyes off of him as well, not wanting to further her anxiety and fear. The more she ignored him, the easier it was to pretend everything was fine. As the day wore on, she was more than thankful for the fact that Professor Daedalus had cancelled their observation for the night. Even though it meant it would prolong whatever Riddle planned to do in retaliation for her not showing up to the library the night before, she had at least another night for Draco to make her forget about it all.

But if Riddle wanted to meet elsewhere that night, he never reached out to tell her.

With Riddle on patrol, they had used Draco's dorm. She had meant to head back to her own bed that night, before Riddle returned to the room, but Draco had put her in such a state of deep bliss that she fell asleep before she had even caught her breath.

She had woken with a start in the middle of the night. It took her a moment to realize that she was in Draco's dorm with him lying on his stomach, face turned against the pillow. He had one hand underneath the pillow and his other arm was stretched out over her stomach. She had been lying on her back with her head turned towards him and her hands resting on top of his arm. His arm had kept the sheet wrapped around her top half, but as usual, he had managed to wrap it around his own lower half, leaving hers exposed to the chill in the room.

She felt _his _presence a moment before the curtains parted at the foot of the bed. She inhaled sharply as stared at the two of them with anger in his eyes. He knelt down to crook his finger at her, demanding that she come closer. She shot a worried glance at Draco and shook her head, the slight movement causing Draco to tighten his told on her.

_Now or I wake him_.

_He could wake up on his own and-_

_Then I suggest you be as quiet as possible._

Bile threatened to rise from her stomach, but she choked it back and turned her gaze to Riddle. _How do you want me?_

_Like this. Closer._

She slid down as best she could, making sure that she didn't wake Draco. As it was, his arm remained draped over her, but in moving the sheet had tugged and exposed her breast. As she slid into her final position, Draco's hand moved to cup her breast, her nipple pebbling beneath his touch. His fingers flexed and she stifled a moan. She lifted her head as much as she dared and saw Riddle staring up her body. Despite the tremble, she bent her knees and planted her feet on the edge of the bed, her knees coming together.

Riddle placed a hand on both of her knees and slowly nudged them apart until she was fully open to him. Only then did his dark gaze travel down her body, stopping only when it reached her nether lips. Hermione's hands went to the sheets and dug her nails in the fabric as she dropped her head to the pillows and closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was Riddle wetting his lips and then she felt his mouth on her.

Reflexively, her hips jerked as his tongue licked a trail of fire from the bottom to the top, flicking at her clit at the end. He groaned against her, vibrating her body and stoking the fire of desire below her navel. She turned her face away from Draco's as Riddle repeated the action time and time again, taking his time in tasting and teasing her. She hated that her reaction was what it was. She shouldn't be enjoying this. She wanted desperately to just lay there and stare at the canopy above, but no matter what she did to try and stop it, she was hit with wave after wave of pleasure that she reacted to each and every time.

Her face flamed with shame and desire as she felt him press two fingers inside of her at the same time his lips closed over her clit. Her moans were harder to suppress; the fear of Draco waking up was the only thing enabling her to keep them back.

Riddle moaned as she began to clutch at his fingers. She knew she was close from the way her hips continued to buck forwards, chasing the friction he kept shying away from. He picked up the pace of his fingers and crooked them, hitting that spot just behind her pelvis. There was no holding that moan in and she went still as it sounded around them. In the silence of the room it was too loud, like a bomb going off.

She went still as Draco's hand palmed her breast, squeezing a bit more. Riddle lifted his head and they both looked at Draco as he whispered, "Hermione." She held her breath as she looked at him, praying to all the gods that he wasn't waking up. That he was just having a dream.

Her gaze moved to Riddle as his fingers swirled inside of her, biting her lip. Her mind was beginning to fog as her release began to build. She as close to the tipping point and she wondered if Riddle was going to deny her since she had skipped out on his demand to meet her the night before.

_I should deny you_, he said, echoing her thoughts. _I detest being lied to. Stood up._

He lowered his mouth back to her, his tongue dancing along her clit like a feather. She wasn't sure which was worse; being denied again or having him set off her release in this position. She would never be able to decide between the two, especially when Riddle resumed fucking her with his fingers.

_I want to deny you, but then I would be denying myself. You taste even sweeter from the source._

Her knuckles went as white as the sheets she clutched at.

_Your punishment will have to wait_.

Stars began to dance behind her lids as her body descended toward the heavens. Her pulsed with the need for release, alternating between feeling as though she were being lowered into a volcano or standing in the middle of a blizzard. His ministrations were relentless and she could no longer control the gasping pants that tore from her lips as her body bowed off the bed.

"Hermione," Draco whispered again, his hand kneading her breast again, only adding to the myriad of emotions that ran the course of her spine. And just when she was beginning to think she couldn't feel any worse when it came to her guilt, Draco spoke again. "I love you."

Riddle lifted his head again and quelled the movements of his fingers inside of her, but it was too late. The moment Draco uttered the words in his sleep, she shattered. She clutched around Riddle's fingers hard enough she wondered if they might break. Otherwise she felt weightless as she closed her eyes and gave in.

As she started to come back down, Riddle removed his hand from her core and rose to his feet. He stared down at her, his expression one of contempt as he slid his gaze to Draco.

_One day he will discover what you really are. _His voice was cold inside of her head. _Who you really are. And when that day comes, he will never love you again._

Hermione's trembling intensified as she stared up at him. _And that is?_ she asked.

His smile was cold and triumphant as he stared down at her. _Mine._

With that, he pulled back and readjusted the curtains around Draco's bed again. She flinched as she heard the door to the bathroom slam shut.

Feeling completely disgusted with herself as her body continued to tremble with the aftershocks, she pushed herself away from Draco and summoned her clothes. With tears of self-loathing blurring her vision, she dressed and fled the room. Once behind the safety of her wards, she pushed her face into a pillow and screamed herself raw. What had started as intrigue in the guise of learning had been warped. Warped to such a state where she felt trapped. She needed to tell Draco; something she should have done long ago, but she feared it was too late. He would hate her. She _deserved _to be hated. But she didn't want to be.

She screamed again at her selfishness and sobbed until no further sound came out. She had never been this girl before. She had just been the bookworm; the friend who cared about her studies. Nothing like this until Riddle had come along. It was sick and twisted; something she didn't understand, but she was too paralyzed with fear to go to anyone about. Until she came up with a way out, she was stuck. She had made her bed. Now she just had to lie in it.


	49. Chapter 49

**FORTY-NINE**

_**Saturday, 6 December 1944**_

Saturday morning Christmas had finally come to Hogwarts in terms of decor. Hermione had whined profusely about the House Elves being overworked in decorating most of the school seemingly overnight. Draco listened to her complaints at breakfast and tried his best to agree with her, but she saw the smirk on his lips whenever he thought she wasn't looking. By the time they parted ways after their meal, he had calmed her down with plenty of declarations in the forms of kisses and the words themselves.

As usual, he was going to meet her at Hogsmeade while she stayed behind and got ready with the girls. But Hermione wasn't in the mood for sitting in her dorm, or putting effort into her appearance; she just wanted to get to Draco as soon as possible. She had almost regretted caving when Kalista asked her to join them again.

"Do you want me to braid your hair?" Agnes asked, looking at Hermione as she sat on her dormmate's bed, watching them primp in front of the floating mirrors.

"No, I think I'm pretty much ready," she said, smiling at the other girl.

Agnes shrugged and turned back towards the mirror, adjusting her makeup. Hermione looked down at her plain black sweater dress. She had transfigured it out of the only dress she had purchased back in September, lengthening the sleeves and thickening the material to help fight against the cold. She spent the rest of her time while they chatted adding heating charms to the fabric so that she didn't have to put on a ton of layers just to keep warm.

What was the point of having magic if she didn't use it for things like this?

She had a pair of flats that she transfigured into boots that came up just past her ankle and charmed them to make it so she didn't get stuck in the snow when she walked. Since the skirt of the dress came to her knees, she opted for a simple pair of knee-high stockings that she also treated the same as she had the dress. The only other addition to her outfit was a sweater transfigured into a button down coat as well as a Slytherin scarf.

Hermione barely listened to their conversation; something they were used to so it didn't bother them. They had made it down the little hill and were approaching the curve that skirted the hut when she felt Riddle's presence in the back of her mind. She stopped short and the others made it a few more steps before they realized that she was no longer walking with them.

"Harmony?"

_Tell them you forgot something_.

She swallowed hard and forced a smile, lightly smacking the palm of her hand to her forehead. "I forgot something actually. A present for Draco."

"Do you want us to wait for you?" Agnes asked.

She shook her head and gestured for them to go on without her. "Are you sure?" Kalista asked, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

Hermione met her gaze and regretted it instantly, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah, I'll see you guys after I meet up with Draco," she said and turned back towards the castle. She took a few steps and then looked back at her dormmates. They had continued along without so much as a glance over their shoulders at her. She looked around and her eyes landed on the hut.

_Come inside._

She looked around again, making sure that there was no one watching. She hesitated, considering all of her options, but when there weren't any that wouldn't result in making things worse, she moved toward the hut, erasing her footsteps with a wave of her wand as she went.

Riddle was sitting in the armchair, one leg crossed over the other, his left arm draped over the arm of the chair with his right bent at the elbow, fingers resting against his mouth. He wore the usual garb, black trousers and white button up underneath a black sweater; the arms rolled up. The only color came from the green tie perfectly hung around his neck. His gaze swept over her more than once before settling on her face.

"Were you not planning on meeting Draco?"

She bristled at his disappointed tone. "Again with the sexism," she snapped, shrugging out of her coat. He must have placed warming charms in the hut because she was stifling the moment the door closed behind her. She set it along with her scarf over the closest piece of furniture and then crossed her arms to stare back at him. "I don't have to look a certain way for anyone."

"Are you a representation for all women of your era?" he asked.

"A good majority. The movement really kicked off in the sixties. You'll see." She shifted her weight, gaze flickering around the hut nervously. "Not every witch as the time nor the desire to be dressed to the nines every day. Some of us have more important things to do."

"Like fight a war," he said with a smirk.

"Unless you plan on quitting your plan for world domination, yes."

"World domination? I find that hard to believe," he said, leaning forward so both his elbows rested on his knees.

"It might as well be. I'm sure if you were to win you wouldn't be content with just Great Britain. That's the problem with ambition, Riddle. You'll always be left wanting more. No matter how much you achieve, it will never be enough."

"And what do you know of what I plan with my success?"

"You won't succeed."

"Humor me," he demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

She wet her lips, watching as his gaze dropped to track the motion. "You plan to keep the wizarding world segregated from that of the Muggle world. Fine, I understand why. There has been plenty of evidence since the beginning of history as to why it's better for us to remain hidden. They outnumber us and they fear the unknown so much that their natural reaction is to get rid of what they don't understand. Which, if it were me, I would try to make that connection. Muggles have progressed and are more open to things that they used to fear.

"You despise Muggleborns and Halfbloods which is strange considering your parentage. But I guess that's because you feel robbed of your full birthright as the Heir of Slytherin. Should you win, which you won't, you plan on making sure that all the archaic modicums of society are fastened into place." She paused to take a breath and quirked her head to the side. "You're one of the most powerful wizards alive. Why you choose to believe a person's power stems from how pure their blood is is beyond me."

"You think you have me all figured out."

"It's not that hard. Men like you are all the same. Power hungry. Desperate to change the world; rid it of something they're jealous of."

"You think I am jealous of Mudbloods?"

Hermione forced herself not to flinch at the word, but her hands balled into fists at her side. "Not as jealous as you are of those with Pureblood. You're so angry at being robbed of that life that you would rid the world of everyone lesser. That way, when you sit at the top, you can feel like one of them." She couldn't help but let her lips curve into a smile of her own. "But you'll never be one of them."

His lips turned down and his eyes narrowed at her.

"And you'll never be able to exterminate everyone. No one knows what it is that allows a Muggleborn to receive magic. The theory of them stealing the magic from a witch or wizard is asinine in nature. Magic isn't transferable. Perhaps the theory that somewhere along the bloodlines was a Squib or a Halfblood, but where did the Purebloods get their magic from? The answer to that is even less speculated on than that of Muggleborn ancestry.

"And since Purebloods are so fond of arranging their marriages, there will always be wandering eyes. There will always be children fathered in secret and born in the shadows. Your plan for a master race of Purebloods will end the same as Hitler's. Just as Grindelwald will never achieve his goal. Just as everyone who has ever had the same ambition for a world shroud in darkness. It never works."

"And your notion of everyone holding hands and getting along as if darkness did not exist? You think that would actually be something the world is capable of?"

"I would rather hold out hope for a better world than ever serve you under yours."

His lips quirked as he got to his feet. Hermione's spine straightened, but she refused to take a step back. "How unfortunate you came back here in the heat of battle. I do hope that when you return I can show you the world I plan to build."

She shook her head. "You won't win."

"There is no way you could possibly know that. Not being stuck here. Tell me, Hermione, what will everyone think when they find out what you have done?"

She went completely still and cold dread washed over her. She truly hadn't thought that far ahead. She had only thought of keeping him from killing Draco. Desperate to keep him safe. Everyone would shun her; even Draco. Especially Draco. No one would understand. Tears prickled at her vision as his fingers came up to curl around her chin.

"Your darling Ronald Weasley," he said. "He will already be devastated to learn about Draco, but it would destroy him to learn that you would spread your legs for not only his childhood bully, but for the Dark Lord. Anyone but him it seems. And Harry Potter?" He smirked and Hermione found it wrong for him to say the names of her best friends like this. "He will never forgive you. I am his number one enemy from what I have seen of the future you left. Everyone would cast you out and call you a whore. Even Draco. You think he will still want you when he learns he is not the only snake to be inside of you?"

She tried to jerk her chin from his hold, but he only held on tighter and she whimpered at the pain.

"Your plan to save him will be what pushes him away. The only place you have left when this all comes out is at my side." He pushed forward until she was trapped between him and the door. His other hand flattened against the wood beside her head and he leaned down until he was eye level with her. "And if you keep pushing, even that option will be off the table."

"I would rather die than sit beside you."

His eyes darkened and Hermione trembled at the red that rimmed the edges. "That can be arranged," he said, his voice hard; the tone akin to the one he had used at the party in the common room. "Until then, you and I have unfinished business."

Hermione struggled against him as he lowered his lips to hers, but it was never enough. He was stronger in his magic as well as his physical being. One day, she promised herself. One day she would get the upper hand, but as he spun her to face the door, she knew that this was not that day.

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Draco how it took so bloody long for females to get ready. Especially knowing Hermione wasn't fussy about her looks. He wondered if it was because she preferred to do things the Muggle way, which made him smile to himself in the middle of Madam Puddifoot's. His mother would take an hour or two every morning to get that perfect appearance. When there was an event, she would take _hours_, and that was _with _magic, but she was never late for anything.

So after an hour of waiting at the table, Draco wondered what could have held her up for so long. He hoped everything was alright. He knew her roommates well enough to think they were probably caught up in the gossip or whatever it was that girls did in their dorms together. He gave the empty chair across from him an amused smirk and then shook his head.

He left the table after paying for the tea he had been sipping at since his arrival and then took to pacing in front of the tea shop. As he waited, he surveyed those around him. He caught a few glimpses of Avery and the others, but if Riddle was with them or in the town elsewhere, he hadn't seen him. The small hairs on the back of his neck prickled, but he brushed the feeling away.

After recasting the warming charms for a second time against the thickening snow fall, Draco pushed away from the building and made his way to the Three Broomsticks. Once inside, he saw Agnes and Kalista with a small group of girls from other houses. He approached and gave them all a half nod.

Agnes was all smiles as was her usual, but it was Kalista's look of worry as her eyes flickered to the door behind him that had his gut twisting in knots. "Have you seen Harmony?" he asked.

Agnes' eyes went wide as she looked at Kalista. "She never met you?" she asked, turning her head back to Draco.

"No," he replied, clearing his throat.

"She came down with us quite a bit ago, but halfway here she said she forgot something and went back to the castle. Even if she backtracked, she should have made it here by now." There was sympathy in Kalista's eyes as she spoke. "Maybe something came up?"

Draco rubbed at his chin and tried to resist the urge to turn and run in attempt to find her. "Thank you," he managed curtly, giving them another nod before taking his leave.

His gut told him she wasn't in Hogsmeade. It told him that she had never made it to the wizarding town. So he wasn't going to waste time in looking around the various shops to see if she was there. Had she made it, she would have gone straight to him. With a tight throat and his heart sinking into his stomach, he began to the trek back up towards the castle.

The snow was falling harder now than when he had first arrived at the tea shop. It fell in sheets and flakes clung to his clothes and his lashes. He moved his scarf up over his nose and mouth so the heating charms could work better. After awhile, the sound of the village disappeared and all he could hear was the sound of his feet crunching on the snow and the wind as it carried the flakes to the ground.

As he passed the hut at the edge of the property line, he paused. It was still strange seeing it, knowing it was empty. Knowing that Hagrid wasn't here showing monsters to students that had no business being part of the curriculum. Even now, looking at the pen up the way, his elbow twinged at the memory of that blasted Hippogriff kicking him. His lip curled with distaste and the turned away with the intention of continuing on towards the castle.

The sound of clattering from inside the hut stopped him in his tracks.

His heart dropped into his stomach. Every red flag raised the warning bells sounded in his brain. His gut told him to continue on the to the castle; to not go and investigate, but his feet carried him forward. Every step was sluggish and accelerated the rhythm of his heartbeat. Soon he could hear it beating in his ears above everything else. He stopped below the window closest to the door and transfigured a dying plant into a step stool so he could see inside.

The moment his eyes adjusted to the difference in lighting upon peering in, he felt as though the ground were being pulled beneath his feet. His heart stopped and anger licked up his spine as well as betrayal. He wanted to storm in there and tear Riddle to pieces, but the more he saw, the more he found he was rooted to the spot.

The sight of Riddle and Hermione would forever be ingrained on his mind. Every time he closed his eyes he would think of nothing but this moment.

They were facing the front door just off to the side of where he stood. He couldn't see their faces, but he could see their reflections in the full length mirror that was placed near the entry. There was something, he couldn't tell what, that she was kneeling on before it. Her skirt was bunched up around her waist and Riddle's trousers were low on his hips. He had his left hand between her thighs in front of her as his right arm hooked under her arm, his fingers reaching up to grasp at her chin, tilting her face to the side. Hermione's left palm was flat against the mirror, leaving streaks on the surface as her right arm was bent behind her and slung over Riddle. Riddle's head was buried in the crook of her neck and her head was tilted back, eyes closed.

He felt his stomach roll as he took in the look on her face. He knew that look well. It was the one he had memorized each night that they shared their bodies with one another. It was the look he had deemed his favorite; the one right before she came undone for him.

It was ruined now as he watched her make the same face for someone else. For _him_.

"Do you belong to Draco?" he heard Riddle grunt.

"N-no."

Draco clutched at the stone exterior as his knees threatened to buckle.

"Who _do_ you belong to?"

"You. Only you."

Her moans increased and Draco finally turned away. He knew she had started to crest and he couldn't stomach watching any longer. He scrambled away from the hut and hurried to put as much distance between the linger sounds of her pleas and cries as possible. He barely registered the interior of the castle as he ascended the stairs in search of the Room of Requirement.

Once inside, he collapsed in front of the foot of his bed. He drew his knees up and propped his elbows on them. He shoved his fingers into his hair and held his head in his hands as his mind played the scene over and over again. He should have gone in and demanded an answer, but he had panicked and left like a coward.

Guilt overrode his anger as he thought that there was no way Hermione had allowed herself into that position willingly. This was Tom Riddle; he wouldn't let a simple no stop him from taking whatever he wanted. To him, everything was his and ripe for the taking. By leaving, he had just thrown Hermione to the wolves.

But before he could get to his feet, another thought crossed his mind. He focused on the memory of her face; the one that he would never be able to think of again without seeing Riddle attached to it. If he was forcing himself on her, she wouldn't be making that face. She had been more than enjoying herself.

Then there was the possibility that what he had seen wasn't real at all. Riddle had always been known for his affinity to cast hallucinations and make people see their worst nightmares. Make them believe they were real. Draco had no proof, but he was certain Riddle had planted that dream on him back when he and Hermione had had that huge fight.

Whatever it was, Draco felt his anger renew and he shot to his feet. Instead of going back out there to get to the bottom of it, he raised his wand and took his frustration out on the room, blasting everything he could to bits. Whether this made him a coward or not, he didn't care. For now, he just wanted to forget what he saw. When his core exhausted, he collapsed to a heap on the floor and as he had taught Hermione, he shelved this memory and buried it deep in his mental library.

* * *

Hermione cried out as Riddle emptied himself inside of her for the second time, surging them forward, pinning her between the mirror and him at her back. His breaths were ragged and shallow from behind her as she struggled to get her own air from the way she was trapped. When he pulled away from her, she turned, putting her back against the mirror, gulping in large breaths of air.

Her legs trembled and her knees gave out from the force of which he had been pounding into her. She slid down the mirror, her skirt landing beneath her to collect the remnants of their encounter as she pulled her knees to her chest. This time had been the worst. It made sense that her body reacted the way it did when he was violent; it was a way to cope. There were a few times between then and now when he had just taken what he needed. She preferred not to come anyway. But between the night before and now…

She wasn't sure if it was her body still trying to cope or if she was truly that sick and twisted that she was starting to like it.

The sound of her sobs filled the hut as she stared at the empty space before her. Her eyes didn't even register Riddle in her line of vision as he redressed himself and then stood there, watching her. Normally he would just leave; she had come to expect it the moment he had regained his composure, but this time, he just stood there and stared. When her sobs began to ebb, he moved and crouched in front of her like he had done the last time they were in the hut.

"Sobbing does not suit you, Hermione."

Her vision snapped into focus and she turned a scowl in his direction. "Then I guess it's a good thing you already got what you wanted. Wouldn't want to do anything to turn you off." She gestured to the door with one hand as she wiped her tears with the other. "Just go."

She flinched as his hand shot out to cup her face, his thumb brushing over her tear-stained skin. "You and I had a deal. Anything I wanted, remember?"

She held his gaze. "Isn't that-"

"What I want is a strong witch with a sharp mind. Not this sobbing mess you have let yourself become. If all you do is weep, I might as well kill Draco and give you something to weep over." Fear squeezed at her gut and her heart skipped a beat. "I will uphold my end of the bargain for as long as I live so long as you hold up yours. You would do well to remember that."

For as long as he lived.

Those words echoed over and over again in her mind. If they went back in time and he won, he would never let her go. For as long as he lived, he would continue to take what he wanted to her. He would use her up until there was nothing left and then continue until one of them died. For as long as he lived, she would never be with Draco the way she wanted.

Hermione took a deep breath to force her nerves to calm. Slowly, Riddle moved his hand from her face until he found hers and then pulled her to her feet. He pressed her between him and the mirror again, his forehead resting against hers. "You and I could do great things together, Hermione. We could show this world that you do not have to be pure of blood to harness true power. That even a Halfblood could outrank them on every level."

Hermione's mind began to race as he reached down, his hands sliding along her thighs. She barely registered when he lifted her up; when he wrapped her legs around his hips. She didn't even notice when he undid his trousers again or when he slipped into her. She was replaying his last few words to her.

He thought she was a Halfblood like him.

Of all the things he had come across in her mind, he hadn't discovered her true blood status. She panicked at the idea of him discovering it now and shoved it to the back of her mind. Instead, she reflected on the rest of what he had said to her and felt a dangerous sense of power wash over her. It was akin to what she had felt when he had apologized to her the second time in the infirmary.

If he wanted a strong witch, he would get one.

No one was worth her tears. Not even the Dark Lord.

He could only hurt her if she let herself be hurt.

Hermione let her head fall back against the mirror, staring at the ceiling as she used his shoulders to steady herself against the rhythm of his thrusts. After this, she would do what she did best and scour the depths of the library for a way out. If there was anyone who could figure out how to rid the world of Voldemort before either war he started came to light, it was her. And she would do whatever it took to take him down.

* * *

**A/N: There is an alternative version of this chapter I have posted as a oneshot entitled Mine**


	50. Chapter 50

**FIFTY**

_**Saturday, 6 December 1944**_

Draco had emerged from the Room of Requirement well after dinner on Saturday night. He didn't even bother stopping by the kitchens as he wasn't sure he would be able to keep anything down and he was uninterested in getting his strength back. He had just wanted to collapse in his bed and hopefully never wake up. Whether it was real or not, Hermione never came looking for him and he wondered if she had even made it to the village.

He paused outside the library, staring up at the massive doors. He had always been a natural Occlumens and had developed quite the talent for Legilimency under his aunt's tutelage. He had ready every book that he could get his hands on on the subject so that he could learn faster and endure his punishments for slipping up less. But the books never dove into other subjects of the mind, particularly the skills that Riddle had developed for projecting hallucinations. As far as he knew, it was just sifting through thoughts or keeping someone out.

Riddle would have had to learn it from somewhere and the Hogwarts library was a good a place as any to start. If he was lucky, he might even be able to find a way to determine what was real and what wasn't in his mind. Without a moment to overthink, he unlocked the doors with a wave of his wand and stepped inside.

He hadn't made it past three aisles before he heard something like a chair falling over followed by an all too familiar gasp and a slur of curses. He picked up his pace and turned the corner to the main gathering of tables in the center of the stacks. Hermione was picking up a chair and roughly shoving it back under a table, a scowl on her face. What really drew his attention was that the four tables surrounding her were covered in books. Each table was about three layers deep and every book was open. There was even another table littered with parchment, ink, and quills for her notes. Her hair was pulled back into a lazy bun and she was muttering under her breath as she bounced from table to table like a madwoman.

"Hermione?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around to see him. She placed a hand over her heart and swallowed hard before giving him a light smile. "What time is it?" she asked, turning to find the nearest window. She looked at him again, her face in a state of shock. "Oh gods, I missed Hogsmeade. I'm so sorry."

He only gave her a dazed nod and watched for any signs on guilt on her face. When she turned away again, he let his eyes flicker around the tables. "Kalista said you were on your way, but that you forgot something and came back to the castle."

She nodded and bent over the desk with her notes, scribbling something down. "I'm really sorry, Draco. I didn't mean to stand you up. I just had an epiphany and I-" She glanced nervously around at the tables, her cheeks turning red. "I got carried away."

"I see that."

"Just let me…" she trailed off as she made a few last notes and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

He held her gaze for a moment and then turned away, not really interested in learning just what she was sorry for. "It's late. We should head back to the dorms."

She nodded and he helped her clean up, taking mental notes about the books in front of him. There were an array of topics. Some of them were what drew him in here as they went over the capabilities of the mind. Most of them were about time travel and artifacts both dark and light in nature. Some were even on transcendence of magic from one generation to the next.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked as she sent the books back to their shelves with a flick of her wand.

"I'm on the right track," she said, holding out the last book for him to take. "I also found this. Read it tomorrow and we can start trying your Patronus lesson tomorrow night," she said, looking at him for only a split second before looking away.

"Hermione-"

"The sooner the better. We can use the Room of Requirement after dinner and we'll practice every night until-"

"Hermione, it's not going to work."

"You don't know that until you try," she said, packing up her notes.

"I do know that. You're not the only one that reads, you know. It's a complicated spell without Dark magic weighing on your core."

"I know that," she snapped. "But you could at least _try_."

He wanted to argue, but he wanted to get out of here as well. The longer he saw her standing before him in the same dress that had been bunched around her waist a few hours ago, the quicker his anger was returning. He was far too tired and depleted for a confrontation. "Fine. I'll read the bloody book. Can we go now?" he asked, snatching it from her hands.

She said nothing as she gathered her things and they walked side-by-side through the darkened castle towards the dungeons. They both paused at the split of the dorms, neither one of them making a move to bid the other goodnight. At last, she looked up at him, her eyes glassy and filled with guilt. He said nothing as his grip tightened on the book at his side and turned away, heading for his dorm without a word.

* * *

_**Tuesday, 9 December 1944**_

He had spent the majority of Sunday in his dorm reading the damn book on the Patronus charm. He only emerged for dinner where he joined Hermione at the end of the Slytherin table. Afterwards, they went to the Room of Requirement and proceeded to practice. They had done so the following night as well, and Tuesday was no different.

After countless hours, Draco was ready to either snap his wand or Hermione in half. Both of them were frustrating him beyond belief. "Come on, Draco. The memories have to be happy. I know you didn't have the greatest life when Voldemort returned, but what about before?"

"I've tried everything, Granger," he snapped back, reverting her to surname with his growing frustration.

"What have you thought about?" she asked.

"That's awfully personal."

"And losing my virginity to you wasn't?" she quipped, her arms folding over her chest.

He turned away from her as he carded a hand through his hair and began to pace. He had been using memories of his childhood; all of them before Hogwarts. Before _her._ He recalled the first time he had displayed magic and the rewards his parents had showered upon him. His first broom and the way he felt soaring through the air over the grounds at the Manor.

He knew what his problem was. It was that, for every bit as happy as those memories were, they really didn't compare to the ones he had created here with her. The past few days he had been in her presence he had shut his mind off of all things Hermione in effort to block out what he may or may not have imagined on Saturday.

"This was a waste of time."

"One more," she urged, reaching out to lay a hand on his forearm, her fingers splaying atop his mark beneath his sleeve. "Please?"

He huffed in annoyance and moved away from her touch. He took his stance and raised his hand in front of him. He closed his eyes and let himself dig deep. He sifted through his memories, searching for the one he knew would work above all others. He forced all the rest of his feelings away she he could concentrated on the way she looked that first night. With her hair looking like actual wildfire as she burned him to the core while she straddled his lap and gave himself to her. The way she called his name and drew him in, forever fusing themselves together.

He heard her gasp and when he opened his eyes there was a silvery stream protruding from the tip of his wand. It was translucent and watery, but it was there. It lasted for only a few seconds, but time seemed to stretch as his heart swelled with pride. He looked down at her when the light disappeared and found that her eyes were glassy with pride as well.

Before he knew it, he had drawn her to him, his lips descending over hers. She clung to him and matched his movements without hesitation. Her lips parted the moment his tongue slipped across the seam of her lips and they sighed in unison as their tasted one another, completely drunk on the happiness of his success.

She was the first to pull away, her cheek resting against his as they both panted for air. "I knew you could do it, Draco."

"I love you," he said, tightening his hold on her.

She tensed for a moment and then squeezed him back. "I love you too."

When he did pull away, the happiness of the moment had dissipated, giving way to the awkward tension that had settled over them since Saturday. "Who knew Light magic could be so draining?"

She cracked a small smile, but refused to meet his gaze. "We can try again tomorrow. You should get some rest," she said, moving to gather her things.

"We're not staying here?" he asked.

She hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I really want to look at a few more texts in the library. You go on to bed and I'll see you in the morning before breakfast."

He reached for her hand to pull her back, using his other hand to tilt up her chin and stare into her eyes. There were so many things swirling around in those chocolate depths; none of it discernable. "I'll go with you. You need rest too, so this way I'll ensure you don't fall asleep at the table."

She bit at her lip nervously, but acquiesced and led him out of the Room of Requirement and down the stairs to the library. It was after curfew, so neither of them spoke as he followed her from stack to stack as she searched for the right section. As time wore on, he could tell she was getting antsy and he saw her look over her shoulder with worry more than once. Just as he was getting ready to ask what had her so on edge, a figure came into view from the main aisle.

"Curfew started over an hour ago."

Draco turned his attention to Riddle as Hermione tried to hide the fact that she jumped. "This isn't the first time we've snuck out," he said curtly, his anger rising at the way Riddle's gaze flickered to him and then turned dangerously on Hermione. It didn't sit well with him to see the look that washed over her face; one equally split between fear and panic.

"I suggest you head back to the dorms before I am forced to take points from my own house."

Draco reached for Hermione's hand and tugged after lacing their fingers together. "We were just leaving," he said, pulling Hermione through the stacks. When they reached the common room, he finally stopped and let go of her, looking over her from head-to-toe. He let his mind wander to the dark recesses of his mind, wondering if she hadn't been trying to get rid of him to meet up with Riddle at the library. Was that why he had been so angry to see them there?

"Goodnight," she said, dropping a hasty kiss on his cheek before disappearing down the corridor towards her dorm in a flash.

He grit his teeth and turned on his heel towards his own dorm. It was time to confront her; he just had to figure out the best way to go about it without lashing out.

* * *

_**Wednesday, 10 December 1944**_

Wednesday during their break after Transfiguration had set his need for action into formulating a plan. He had been staring at her across the space of the table and was thinking of asking her; just blurting out the question and seeing where it led them. Instead, he chose the least confrontational method and slipped into her mind. He took it slow and steady, not wanting to alert her to his presence.

He didn't have to poke around for too long before stumbling across a scene of her in the library. He wondered if she was currently thinking about this instance as it would explain why he had found it so quickly. It took him a moment to realize what it was that he was seeing and even less time for his anger to spike before she slammed up her mental defenses and shoved him out with an audible grunt.

They glared at one another from across the table, the same one he had seen Riddle bending her over in the glimpse of her memory. If he recalled correctly, she had been wearing the same outfit Monday night and wondered if she had snuck back out of the dorms after they returned from their late night teaching session in the Room of Requirement.

"What are you doing?" she asked, panic heavy in her voice.

"Testing a theory," he replied bitterly.

She continued to stare at him, her eyes calculating his mood, clearly wondering if he had seen anything. "Well I would prefer if you found another test subject," she said, shoving her things into her bag carelessly.

"Got something to hide?"

She stilled for just a second, but he saw it. She stood up, the scraping sound of her chair drawing attention from those around them. "I'm just tired of-" she stopped short and cast her eyes down. "I'll see you in Charms," she said, taking her leave.

When she was gone, he reached into his bag and tapped his fingers on the book he had taken from her; the one she hadn't used to communicate with him in a long time. He made up his mind then. He was going to use it to contact Riddle and have him meet somewhere under the guise he was Hermione. And since she was better at sneaking around than he had given her credit for, he had to figure out a way to keep her in her dorm.

The opportunity presented itself later that day in Potions. In needing a few additional ingredients, Draco found himself alone in the supply closet. From having helped Snape a time or two in here, he knew there were always a few vials of ready-made potions. He perused the shelf, glad to find them in the same spot, and snagged a Dreamless Sleep vial.

Feeling only slightly guilty for slipping it to her later that night in the common room under the guise of it being a glass of water, Draco carried her to her dorm when she began to nod off on the couch. He slipped inside her wards and laid her down on her bed. He brushed the hair out of her face and then traced the outline of her jaw with a knuckle.

"I have to know," he whispered.

He had only stayed a few moments longer before taking his leave and disappearing to his own dorm. When curfew approached, he took out her book and dipped his quill into the ink.

_What time tonight?_ he wrote.

It wasn't long before the book began to warm and Riddle's response began to take shape on the page. Draco glanced at his own book, feeling a surge of anger as it remained blank and cool to the touch.

_Library. Midnight._

Draco didn't bother to respond as he closed the books and stared at them, his heart sinking in his stomach as he waited for midnight.

* * *

Riddle didn't have patrol that night, but he never came back to the dorms anyway. Whatever it was he was doing, Draco didn't want to risk getting caught leaving and blowing his plan. He left the dorm right at midnight, figuring Riddle was already at the library in search of Hermione. Each step he took had time slowing more and more. He kept his wand in his hand knowing whatever the outcome, he was definitely going to need it at some point. He wasn't sure what he would say; he was just going to wing it when he got there.

He found Riddle at the back of the library near one of the larger windows that overlooked the grounds. Even from his stance behind him, he could see the hut in the distance, covered in show. He caught Riddle's reflection in the window and he smirked as he turned to face Draco.

"So you figured out the book."

"How long?" he bit out, his fingers tightening on the handle of his wand at his side.

"Does she know that you stole from her?"

"Answer the fucking question, Riddle."

He took a step towards Draco, his eyes darkening. "Physically? Since the night before your attempt to murder me."

He thought back to the day he had seen her emerge from the dorms and told her she had looked like shit. The way her eyes had sunken in and her body trembled with nervous energy. They had gone to the infirmary and then she had been more needy than usual. All of it had been warning signs. All of which had gone ignored.

"What did you do to her?" he asked, stepping forward, his wand raised slightly.

"She offered herself to me," he replied, his smirk broadening. "She came to me willingly, just as I told you she would in the end."

"She wouldn't-"

"But she did," Riddle interrupted. "You have held her back time and time again. She has true potential, Draco, something that would be squandered with the likes of you. I would not expect you to understand, being a Pureblood, but by my side, I will make sure the world knows exactly what she is capable of. She will be a beacon for Halfbloods-"

"Halfbloods?"

The word was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. His mind was racing, taking in everything Riddle was saying. From the sound of it, she and Riddle had been going behind his back nearly all this time. Suddenly, the parts of her nightmare he had witnessed seemed more like memories after all. His anger got the best of him and he gave a sharp laugh.

"You think she was so afraid of you and everything you've done because she was a Halfblood?"

He could see the words sinking in as the smirk on Riddle's face began to disappear. Had he not just had confirmed Draco's worst fears; that Hermione hadn't been coerced into being with Riddle. That she had gone to him on her own accord. Had cheated behind his back and lied right to his face about it.

"Guess she's a better liar than we both thought," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"She has never lied to me."

Draco snorted, his lip curling in a sneer. "So she told you she's a filthy little Mudblood?"

His stomach rolled as the slur slipped out of his mouth with entirely too much ease. The gut wrenching betrayal sent bile up his throat and his anger turned it to ash in his mouth. All of it overpowered the regret from the words having left his mouth at all.

Despite the emotions, he was prepared when Riddle's presence tore into his mind. His shields were up; his door locked, latched, and sealed shut tight. For the first time since coming here, he wasn't going to cower or run away. This was the confrontation he had come for. This was the moment his aunt had prepared him for; what he had trained and practiced for.

Riddle advanced, applying more and more pressure on his mind. Sweat trickled down his brow and soaked through the back of his shirt, but he refused to break. Even as his body began to tremble and the force of Riddle's mind pushed him to his knees, Riddle never got past his barriers. Through clenched teeth, Draco pushed back with as much energy and magic he could muster. He continued to push, even as his mind felt as though it were being cleaved in two. He refused to stop until he successfully pushed Riddle from his mind.

When he did, he pitched forward, catching himself on his hands and gasping through the nausea to catch his breath. Knowing he wasn't out of danger yet, he tightened his hold on his wand and pushed himself up. It took him a moment to realize that Riddle was gone. When it processed, he gave into his body's demand for rest and collapsed against a table.

He knew that regardless of whatever happened, he had done the worst thing imaginable by outing her blood status. He knew that if Riddle had acted like this upon being told, he would definitely hurt Hermione. Riddle had said she had gone to him willingly. He had seen enough from her own mind and with his own two eyes to believe it. She knew what she was doing; that she was playing with fire.

As Draco sat there in the dark of the library, recovering from the exertion of keeping Riddle from his mind, he decided that this was her mess.

And just like that, Hermione Granger was no longer his problem.

If she wanted the Dark Lord, he wouldn't stand in her way.


	51. Chapter 51

**FIFTY-ONE**

**_Thursday, 11 Thursday 1944_**

When Hermione woke the next morning, her entire body felt heavy. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt like a piece of cotton. She rolled onto her side and rubbed at her temples, the fog of sleep trying desperately to claim her again. She remembered starting to feel so tired she could barely sit up in the common room, but now she was in her dorm and she hadn't remembered getting there. What really ate at her was the fact that she had had this feeling before and it only came the morning after Dreamless Sleep.

Forcing herself up, she groaned when she used her wand to discover the time. Breakfast was nearly over. Panic surged through her veins at how she could have slept that long without a potion. Then there was the question of where it had come from or who had given it to her without her knowledge. The only person she had been around the night before was Draco, but it filled her with anxiety and confusion at the prospect that he would slip it to her without her consent.

Shaking it off for the time being, she hurried to change out of her clothes for fresh ones. She charmed her hair to be more presentable and brushed her teeth. By the time she was grabbing her bag to leave the dungeons, it was time to head to class. She didn't even bother meeting Draco at the Great Hall, instead, going straight to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The desks were gone, so she stood off to the side opposite the door as students began to fill the room. Draco entered with a few other of their housemates. His gaze met hers briefly, but he looked away and her gut twisted in knots as he made it a point to stand far away from her. She swallowed hard, panic rising to new extremes.

One of the last people to enter was Riddle. His anger filled the room and when their eyes met, Hermione felt as though she could choke on the rage he directed at her. She averted her gaze, keeping it on the floor as she wracked her brain trying to figure out what had happened within the last twelve hours.

Her attention refocused when she heard Draco's voice as he stepped forward to the center of the room. He had volunteered for the last duel of the term and Hermione found herself joining him near Merrythought before her mind even caught up to what she was doing.

"You volunteer to duel Mister Malory?" Merrythought said, a flicker of doubt passing over her face.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. There was no way she was going to let Riddle volunteer. Although, from the look on Draco's face, that's what he was hoping would have happened.

"I'm not dueling you," he said, his voice clipped.

"Afraid I'll best you?" she challenged.

Merrythought looked back and forth between the two of them with unease. "Just heed the rules and when I say stop, Miss Granger, I expect you to stop."

Heat flamed her face as she recalled the duel with Riddle at the start of term. She gave a nod and let her wand slip down her sleeve into her hand. "I will," she promised.

"Very well, you may begin," the professor said, stepping away and casting the usual wards to keep the other students safe.

She had thought Draco was going to refuse again, but he caught her off guard by brandishing his wand and landing a spell to her abdomen that had her nearly knocked her off her feet. She barely had time to recover before he hurled another one. She switched gears in her mind as fast as she could, sending spell after spell at him in return.

She could tell that he was getting more upset with each passing second, but she wasn't sure why. His spells were stronger than she had ever anticipated them to be and more often than not, they broke through her shield charms. "Draco, what's-"

"We're not supposed to talk," he snapped, firing another three spells in the time it took her to breathe. "Stop firing those stupefying spells, Granger. We both know you know more than that."

Granger.

"I'm not trying to hurt you."

He snorted. "The damage is already done, Granger. Just fire the fucking spells."

To emphasize his words, the spark of orange light that struck her left shoulder forced a shriek from her lips and she landed hard on one knee. She took a deep breath to say something to him or fire a spell, she wasn't sure which, but she was stopped by Riddle's presence invading her mind. She groaned at the force; it was nothing like all the times before. There was no warmth now. He was cold and it made her shiver.

When she went to move, it didn't feel as if it were body anymore. She felt as though she were a puppet and Riddle was the one pulling her strings. She panicked and fought as hard as she could, but the Dark magic shimmered on her fingertips and a scream rent the air. It took a moment for her to realize that it had come from Draco. He was staring at her with a hint of fear in his grey eyes as he held his bicep, blood running through his fingers.

_Stop!_

She was screaming at Riddle and fighting to take back control, but he was stronger than she had ever felt him before. He continued to use her, channeling her Dark magic again and again to lash out at Draco.

"I see it now," Draco said, firing another few spells at her with blood dripping from his wand as it ran down the length of his arm.

"What?" she asked through clenched teeth as she tried to hold back on the curse Riddle was making her shoot back.

"I wonder if he'll still want you now that he knows." His voice was so cold that it brought more tears to her eyes than her struggle with Riddle.

She wanted to ask what who knew and what it was that they knew, but she caught a glimpse of the curse Riddle intended to use next and her panic increased tenfold. She shut her eyes tight against the tears and reached down into the depths of her core, tugging on that sensation she equated with Grey magic. Once she had a hold of it, she yanked it forward and used it to break his hold over her.

Exhausted and worn, she collapsed to the ground, her wand clattering somewhere off to the side. Draco's last spell hit her square in the chest and it knocked her back. She barely heard him call her name as she closed her eyes and fell into the darkness that followed.

* * *

_**Friday, 12 December 1944**_

Hermione had spent the rest of her Thursday in the infirmary with Draco taking up the bed next to her. Neither of them spoke through the day, although most of her time there had been spent in a fitful sleep. When they were released, the tension between them carried on throughout the rest of Friday as well. Despite the fact that he sat with her in classes and in the library during their breaks, she could have sworn that he was acting like she didn't exist. And she was too confused and hurt by his behavior the day before to question him. Too afraid of her upcoming time with Riddle on the Astronomy Tower.

Her mind was running wild with assumptions as to what could make Draco this angry with her and cause Riddle to control her into trying to get her to fire the Killing Curse at Draco.

For the first time since being transported back in time, Draco was not in the common room as midnight approached. Hermione wasn't sure what that meant for them, but it didn't bode well. When it was clear that he wasn't going to come out and see her off, she took her leave and began her walk to the tower. Each step brought forth more dread. She knew they weren't going up there for their project. She knew what Riddle would want the moment she stepped onto the landing, but something felt off.

As she waited for the stairs to align on the second floor, Draco's words from the day before echoed in her mind.

_"I wonder if he'll still want you now that he knows."_

She leaned against the banister as nausea threatened to make her dinner reappear. He knew. She had known that, based on his clear avoidance of her and his anger, but it hadn't sunk in until that very moment.

But what had me meant? What did Riddle know? What had Draco told him?

Fear seized her gut again as she watched the staircases click into place. She couldn't seem to make herself move. It was as if she were caught in Devil's Snare again, sinking into the depths below. She closed her eyes and for a brief moment, she thought she heard the hissing of the Basilisk within the walls. She knew the Chamber of Secrets was close by; she could often hear Myrtle wailing through the halls, but she hadn't stepped foot into the bathroom since her arrival. She had no desire to accidentally be petrified again.

"I thought I made myself clear."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Riddle's voice, only to discover him standing right in front of her. He was so close she could feel the heat of him through her clothes. Her lips parted slightly as she shook her head, stopping as he closed the gap and pressed her against the railing with his body.

"That you were not to use your Occlumency to hide anything from me."

His pupils were blown wide in rage and a haze of red rimmed the edges, making him look far less human than she had ever seen before. "I d-didn't-"

"If I had known you were a Mudblood, I would have never touched you."

Hermione's eyes went wide as terror coursed like ice through her veins. She swallowed hard against the bile that rose up her throat. Draco had outed her. Tears of betrayal and fear welled up and spilled over, glossing her cheeks as she stared up at Riddle. Knowing that his rage was about to manifest in true Voldemort fashion, Hermione's natural instincts of fight or flight kicked in and she chose the latter, dashing off up the stairs.

She ran through the castle as if it were the snatchers behind her all over again. Her life truly did depend on her ability to get away. She cursed herself for not going down and escaping out the main door to the castle, but there were places she could hide inside. She just had to think as she ran and hope that she got to one of them before he got to her.

But her logic had abandoned her as her primal instinct to flee took precedence. She wasn't sure what floor she had made it to before he caught her; an arm around her waist to pin her arms at her side and a hand over her mouth to mute her screams. She kicked and flailed against him, but he uttered something in her ear and everything went dark.

When she jolted from having been rennervated, she immediately began to try and resume fighting. Riddle was standing over her, watching her thrash about beneath him against her bonds. Her legs were bound together and stretched out before her, stuck to the floor with his magic. Her arms were outstretched on either side, stuck to the floor at the wrists. The only thing she seemed to be able to move was her head and her body when she arched it off the floor in her struggles.

But it wasn't Riddle's murderous stare or the fact that his wand was trained on her that made her stop struggling, it was the room itself. Fear made her heart skip a beat and she cried out at the sight of the Malfoy Manor's drawing room around her. She was pinned down the same way as she had been when Bellatrix carved her up.

As she thought about it, Riddle forced his way into her mind. She was too weak to keep him from witnessing her torture. When he withdrew, she turned towards her left arm, flinching at not only the phantom pains, but of the way he tore her sleeve away from her shirt from the elbow down with a flick of his wrist.

"I should have known you were a Mudblood. From the very moment I saw you, you tempted me. You tried to taint me, to sway my ambitions and get me to change." He lowered himself until he was sitting on her stomach. She shook her head, hot tears streaming down her temples and into her hair. "It almost worked too. I told you as much; that I had a plan for you to be by my side. I taught you Grey magic. I let you in and you defiled me with your muddy blood."

She tried to dislodge him as he placed the tip of his wand over her left forearm, just below the bend of her elbow. "No! Please! _Ridd-AH!"_

Her begs turned to full on screams as his magic began to slice her skin. Bellatrix's cursed blade felt like a scratch from Crookshanks in comparison to this. She could feel the Dark magic seeping into her skin, tearing it open, hitting bone. She screamed and fought until her voice gave out and she tasted blood on her tongue. By the time he sat back to admire his handiwork, she had done the same as before; stared off to the side while tears streamed silently from her face to the floor.

The pain was fogging her vision and left her feeling like an empty shell of herself. She knew she was going to lose consciousness soon. If it were anything like last time, she had already lost a lot of blood. She assumed it was more this time; she could feel it trickling down her arm and pooling around her. He reached up and grabbed her chin, turning her head to look at him. He was leaning in, close enough that his lips brushed over hers when he spoke, but she could barely see him.

"A shame such powerful magic was wasted on a Mudblood whore like you."

She barely registered her head hitting the ground as he released her. Soon, he was pulling away from her and getting to his feet. She felt the magic pinning her down give way and he gave her one last look before leaving her alone. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and when they reopened, they fell on her arm. The slur was back as if it had never been burned off her skin in the first place. The only difference was that, where Bellatrix's letters had been untidy and childlike, Riddle's had been precise; as if it had been tattooed onto her skin rather than carved with Dark magic.

She squeezed her eyes tight and sobbed until there was nothing left of her. And when she was spent of emotions and pain, she continued to lay in the darkness until exhaustion finally rose to swallow her whole.

* * *

_**Saturday, 13 December 1994**_

When Hermione woke next, she was still in the same position as she had been upon passing out. The only difference was that the room had shifted to become her dorm room from Gryffindor Tower instead of the Malfoy Manor's drawing room floor. She cried out as she pushed herself to into a sitting position and turned to her left. She watched through tear-filled eyes as fresh blood began to run down her skin from the movement.

But for as much as it hurt, she had to pick herself up off the floor. There would be no one but herself to save her this time. Not Harry. Not Ron. Certainly not Malfoy. She got to her feet, swaying at first until her balance was steady enough to make it to the bathroom. She turned on the tap for the shower and vanished her clothes. She stepped under the scalding hot spray of water and shoved the pain of it hitting her arm so she could scrub herself raw.

When she done, she cast as many scourgifying charms on her that she could manage before doing the same to her clothes and then redressing. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she stopped at the sound of the main door opening. She raised her wand immediately and held it there, despite the shaking of her limbs.

Malfoy slowly put his hands up in surrender as his eyes raked over her slowly, stopping at the sight of her forearm. She hadn't bothered to fix her sleeve. His eyes went wide with anger and concern as he looked at it, tracking the small trail of blood as it ran down her arm to splash on the floor at her feet.

"Did he-"

"Don't act like you care now, Malfoy!" she snapped, brandishing her wand as steadily as she could.

His arms went to his side, his hands balling into fists. "I didn't-"

"What did you think he would do?" she shouted. "He wasn't- I had it-" Her voice was shaking far too much and her thoughts were jumbled all over the place. "Why did you tell him my blood status?" she asked, her voice finally breaking into sobs.

"Because I wanted you both to hurt."

She narrowed her eyes at him and pulled in her wand hand enough to wipe at her tears with the back of her hand.

"I didn't think he would… Hermione, I'm-"

"It's too late for apologies, Malfoy." Her hand shot out to grab the bed post to keep from falling over as the blood loss made her head spin. "You should go."

"I'm not leaving."

She gave a short nod and took a shaky step forward. "Fine. Then I'll go."

"The only place you're going is to the infirmary," he said, stepping forward to catch her when the room spun and she pitched forward.

She shoved him off of her, moaning at the pain that shot through her arm. She sneered down at the blood on his otherwise pale skin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sully you with my dirty, muddy blood."

"Hermione-"

"No!" she snapped wincing as her left hand balled into a fist caused another wave of pain. "You did this! You told him my blood status and he _marked _me! This is far worse than whatever payback you think I deserve for whatever it is that you think you know!"

"What I _think_ I know?" he raged back at her. "I know enough, Granger. I know that you've been lying to me and sneaking around with him behind my back!" She flinched away from him and wiped fresh tears from her cheeks again. "And I didn't do a fucking thing! You brought this on yourself! You want to lay with snakes and play with fire? Fine! This is what you get!"

She recoiled, her shoulder connecting to the bedpost she had just stepped away from.

"I expected a lot from you, Granger. Brightest Witch of Our Age and all that shit. I loved you! I gave you my everything and you went and stomped all over my heart by spreading your legs for the fucking Dark Lord of all people! Was I really even your first or are you just as good a liar as you are a whore?"

The stinging jinx came flying out of her wand before she fell backwards on to the bed. He grunted and hissed in pain as the purple burst of light hit him square in the face. Much like the effects it had had on Harry, Malfoy's face began to bubble and swell until it was disfigured almost beyond recognition.

"_GET OUT!"_

"Gladly!" he fired back, his voice distorted from her magic.

She closed her eyes as he turned away and jumped at the sound of the door slamming shut. Once he was gone, she laid back on the bed, curling up into the fetal position. She grabbed at the necklace he had given her with her right hand and held tight. She wished it had been a Time Turner instead so she could go back to the beginning.

With Malfoy's exit, her decision to let Riddle use her as he saw fit was now all for nothing. Sobs wracked her body again until she was too exhausted to cry. When all the moisture had been cried out, she just simply laid there and watched her arm bleed, wondering if she would bleed to death if she stayed just like that. As she continued to watch the crimson droplets drip out the wound, she found herself hoping when she closed her eyes next, she wouldn't open them again.


	52. Chapter 52

**FIFTY-TWO**

_**Sunday, 14 December 1994**_

Hermione had been walking along the streets of the neighborhood she had grown up in. The air was cold and she had forgotten her coat. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed at her biceps, hoping the friction would be enough until she got to the bus. It seemed as though with every step she took, the air grew colder and colder. Soon, she could see her breath in a puff of smoke upon exhales.

Just as she considered turning back to wait out the cold, she turned the corner and found herself in a field. It expanded as far as the eye could see and was complete with rolling hills and flowers of all colors. She turned to look back at her house one last time, but it was gone; as though she had Apparated on the spot without even knowing. And it was warmer here.

Her arms slowly dropped down to her sides and she turned her face up towards the sun. She took a deep inhale, enjoying the earthy, floral scent, and upon exhale, couldn't remember what she had been walking towards. Instead, she sat upon the grass and laid back to stare at the clouds in the sky. The breeze was gentle as it washed over her and the warmth began to penetrate her skin, calming her to the core.

She closed her eyes and just listened the wind rustling the blades of grass around her. She couldn't recall a time where she had felt so at peace and she just wanted to sit and enjoy it for however long it lasted. She turned to lie on her left side, her arm stretched out as she gave into the serenity that lulled her to sleep. Soon, the gentle tickles of her hair caressing her face felt more like a lover's touch. Like fingertips dancing along her skin.

_"Hermione."_

The voice was soft on the breeze. Familiar. She couldn't place it at first. More warmth from the hand on her face seared her skin and she leaned into it, enjoying the calm it seemed to add to the moment. She felt something slide over her wrist and she winced, but didn't open her eyes.

"_Hermione_."

The voice was harsher this time; more urgent. The sensation on her wrist moved down the inside of her forearm. Her mouth morphed into a silent scream as pain lanced up her arm.

"Hermione."

Her eyes opened, but it took a moment of staring around the room to realize where she was. She wasn't in a field surrounded by sprawling hills being lulled to sleep by a gentle wind. She was in the Room of Requirement, lying in the iteration of her old Gryffindor dorm. She was lying on her side with her left arm stretched out, her wrist hanging off the side. Riddle knelt at the side of the bed before her. He had one arm tucked under his chin while the other hand was raised to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

There were no tears that came. Had she not been so numb with pain and grief, she would have felt fear, but she was too empty to react. Instead, she just remained frozen in place, staring back at him.

"I will not apologize for my actions," he said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it before. "It should serve as a reminder that you should never lie to me again."

She gave a curt nod of her head to show that she understood. She didn't trust her voice to work so she didn't bother with trying to speak.

"I have never lied to you. I expect the same in return. Omitting the truth is something I consider a lie as well. Do you understand?"

She gave another nod.

His lips twitched into a smile for a moment before neutralizing again. She didn't even have it in her to flinch as he leaned back a little to pull out his wand and aim it at her arm again. Her eyes simply followed down the object and landed on his rendition of the carving. It was still weeping, the crimson tears having soaked and dried upon the coverlet since she had laid down. She blinked as she watched a soft white hue cast over her skin and when she saw her flesh next, the bleeding had stopped.

"You shall remain branded. I cannot afford for you to forget you place with me again." He moved his hand back to her face, brushing a few stray hairs from her eyes.

She nodded again, trying her best to swallow despite the dryness in her mouth. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and she nearly choked on it. Her eyes moved back to his, searching his gaze for any clue as to what game he was playing at. But no matter how hard she looked, she came up clueless.

He got to his feet then, looming over her in the poorly lit room. She closed her eyes as he reached down for her. She felt his hands on her; felt her body moving, but she kept her eyes closed and swallowed down the nausea that threatened to rise. When she stopped moving, she opened her eyes, blinking slowly. He had sat on the bed, his back resting against the headboard among the pillows. She was sitting between his legs, turned slightly so that hers were draped over his left thigh towards the knee.

She saw his right hand come up and she noticed the vials in his grasp. A glimmer of fear stirred in her gut, but it never manifested beyond a flutter. _Are you going to kill me?_

He hummed and it vibrated the length of her spine. His left hand rose to tip her chin backwards and his thumb swiped across her bottom lip, tugging slightly to coax her to part them. "I should. I want to," he said, tipping the first vial to her lips. "But I may still have use for you."

The liquid was sweet and flooded her mouth with much needed moisture. She swallowed it down greedily, desperate to appease the ache brought on being so parched. She drank the next two in the same manner, some of it dribbling past her lips. He wiped the remnants from her mouth and vanished the vials. She licked at her lips and sucked at the potions in her mouth until every last drop had been consumed.

She recognized two of them. One was to replenish her blood loss and the other was to return her strength and stamina. She wasn't quite certain what the last one was, but it watery and tasted distantly of flowers. Whatever it was, she felt herself relaxing against him whether she wanted to or not.

_What will you do to me?_

"There will still be a place for you in my kingdom," he said, one arm wrapping around her abdomen while the other pressed against hers in her lap, his fingers stroking idly at her skin. "I had hoped to make you my queen. To have you wield Grey magic at my side. You are brilliant and you stand up for what you believe in. You understand the nature of politics; dreamy and unrealistic as they might be, you still made good points."

She blinked a few times, her lids seemingly made of stone and determined to stay closed.

"But I cannot have a Mudblood on the throne. Especially one who has proved she cannot be trusted. Your place will still be at my side, but you will be a reminder to those that oppose me. To anyone that does not surrender and continues to fight. To anyone that has helped your kind in gaining a leg up in society."

A single tear rolled down her cheek then.

"This," he said, his fingers ghosting along her cut, making her wince slightly. "Was the first of your punishments. The second will be the death of Harry Potter. I have heard in your mind that neither of us can live while the other survives. He is my main enemy in your time and your friend. His death will be the start.

"Then there is the blood traitor. Ronald Weasley." Hermione took a deep breath as another tear fell. "He will die, that much is certain. The only thing I have not determined is whether or not I will make you be the one to end his life."

She shuddered at the thought of either of her friends dying. More tears fell at the thought of him using her to put them in an early grave. As if wading through sludge, her right hand came up to her throat and grasped the sapphire tear drop that hung there. "Dr-Draco?" she croaked.

He tensed behind her. "So long as you remember who you truly belong to, I will keep my word. Anything I want, you will give me without hesitation. The first sign of rebellion from you and I will strip his skin from his body and bleed him dry before your eyes."

Hermione bit back the whimper of anguish at the picture he painted for her.

"Everyone will be offered a place in my society, Hermione. Even Mudbloods. As you said, there cannot be a way to keep them from being born as we do not know what in their genetic history brings their magic alight. There are ways to suppress magic; bind one's magical core. When one is found and registered, they will be treated as the scum that they are."

"Even me?" she asked, her voice harsh.

His fingers tapped at her arm as he inhaled deeply, his breath tickling the top of her head upon exhale. "That… I have yet to decide." His fingers skimmed up her arm leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. He gently tipped her head to the side and moved to brush her hair off to the side. His lips brushed against her ear, his breath warming her skin and causing her to shudder. "I should have never let you in, Hermione," he whispered, his voice a dark caress. "It would be far easier to kill you; to rid myself of temptation." He sighed and traced the shell of her ear with his nose. "Yet the thought of a world without you is not something I find myself able to imagine.**"**

Hermione shuddered as she a slew of emotions swept through her. As he pressed his lips to her throat, she tried to process what his words meant. What effect they would have on her for the immediate future as well as the one she had to get back to. But her mind was beginning to fog; her thoughts disappearing.

"You need your rest."

Hermione's breath hitched as she realized he meant for her to rest here; on the bed where her blood still soaked the sheets. With his arms around her like there was more to them than predator and prey. She wanted to tell him that she was fine. That she could get up and go back to her own dorm, but all she did was nod. Her body continued to relax against him, her lids fluttering at the way his hand smoothed her hair and ran up and down her arm over and over again.

But the potions hadn't kicked in yet. Until they did, there wasn't an ounce of fight left in her. So she gave in, letting her mind shut off completely, hoping that when she woke next, this was nothing but a nightmare.

* * *

_**Monday, 15 December 1944**_

Draco had only taken a few bites of his breakfast on Monday morning before a bell signaled that class was starting. He hadn't seen Hermione since he had found her in the Room of Requirement Saturday morning. He had barely slept for more than a combined five hours since then. The image of her looking so haunted as well as that fresh carving on her arm left him wracked with guilt. The feeling had only intensified by her noticeable absence for the rest of the weekend.

As he stepped out of the Great Hall, he told himself if she weren't in Transfiguration, he was going back to find her.

His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her at their usual desk together. He swallowed hard and slipped into the seat beside her. He noticed the way she tensed beside him, but other than that, she ignored him through class. He didn't blame her one bit. He considered going to the library with her after like they normally did, but she disappeared from the class so fast he thought she Apparated.

He approached Charms with caution, but was glad to see that Riddle was sitting in his usual spot across the room so he took his own place beside Hermione again. Just before the end of class, he placed his hand gently over hers under the desk. He cringed at how she flinched away from him, knocking her knee on the underside of the surface to get away from him.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Malfoy-"

"Please?"

There was a moment where she sat, still as a statue before she gave the quickest of nods and began to gather her things. He walked ahead of her, trusting that she wouldn't change her mind and have disappeared when he turned around. It was he made motion to ascend the stairs that he turned. He did a double take at the sight of her still on the landing and hopped off.

"I can't… Somewhere else. _Anywhere _else," she whispered, her eyes darting up the ever-moving stairs in fright.

His heart sank at the panic in her voice and the way she cradled her left arm to her chest. As he watched her fingers clutch at the necklace he had given her, he nodded and turned away, looking around to think of a place where they could talk. He raked a hand through his hair and gestured with his head for her to follow him into one of the abandoned classrooms nearby.

Once inside, they both set their things down at their feet and he watched as she cast a few charms around them. When she was done, she stood facing him, her arms down at her side, shoulder's slumped, eyes cast down to the floor. "You wanted to talk?"

"Where were you all weekend?" he asked.

"Recovering."

The flat tone of her voice left a sour taste in his mouth. "Did you go to the infirmary?"

"No."

"But you had potions," he guessed. After witnessing the state Riddle had left her in, there was no way she would have been on her feet so soon.

"Yes."

His jaw clenched and he rubbed at it. "Who gave them to you?" he asked, watching for a reaction. Her lack of one had him snorting. "You must have it bad for him if you let him nurse you back to health after what he did."

Her gaze snapped up to his and her face was pinched with the faintest traces of anger. "At least _he _came back for me. You just walked away and didn't even care enough to make sure I didn't bleed out over the weekend."

It was his turn to flinch as her voice cracked and she hastily wiped tears from her eyes. "You told me to get out."

"You called me a whore."

Another wince, this time from both of them as she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling further. He shook his head and let his guilt propel him forward, taking her into his arms and crushing her to him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have left you there. I shouldn't have told him you were Muggleborn. I'm so sorry, Hermione."

She brought her arms up, her nails digging into his shoulders as she clung to him. Her face was buried against his chest and he could feel her tears soaking his shirt. "I'm sorry, Draco. I'm sor-"

He cut her off by pulling back enough to grasp her face in his hands and plant his lips onto hers. Their combined tears dripped into their kiss, turning it salty and bittersweet. He pushed forward, trapping her between himself and a desk, the piece of furniture skidding back from the force of which they hit it. He reached down and lifted her up, setting her down on the surface and shoving his way in between her legs.

He could feel her hands at his neck, tugging on his tie. Once it was loosened, she moved down to his buttons. She was trembling too much to make quick work of them, but he barely noticed. It was when she had undone the third one that he registered she had been whispering, "I love you," and "I'm sorry," over and over again through her tears as she continued to kiss him.

He pulled his lips from her and moved his hands to grip the desk on the outside of her thighs; thighs that were clamped around his hips like a vice. His forehead pressed against hers and her fingers flexed at his shirt. "Did you sleep with him?"

"Draco-"

He lifted his head, his vision clouding with tears. When they spilled over his waterline, they left hot tracks down his cheeks. He blinked to try and get rid of them, but they continued to rise and fall. "Hermione…" His voice was tight and he gripped the desk harder. "I need to know the truth."

Even if he hadn't already seen it with his own eyes, the sob that escaped her was an answer on its own, but he wanted to hear the words; _needed _her admission. Without it, he might not ever forgive her. Slowly, he saw her nod her head and it took his breath away. She lifted her gaze to him and he saw her gaze was just as glassy as his own. "You don't understand-"

He cut her off again by pressing his lips to hers. He shut his eyes tight and let himself linger as long as he dared. When she started to realize that this was a farewell, she clutched at his shirt, desperate to keep him in place. His hands fought for hers and extracted them from his clothes before holding them firmly in her lap and pulling himself from her.

"I can't love someone who betrays me, Hermione. I want to…" he said, leaning his forehead against hers briefly. "But I can't. I can't do this anymore."

"Draco, _please!_"

Unable to resist, he pressed his lips to hers one last time. "You're not the person I thought you were."

"I am!" she sobbed, reaching for him as he turned his back to her. "I am! Draco, don't-"

"Goodbye, Hermione," he said, taking his leave of the classroom, forcing himself to not look back. Once he shut the door on her sobs, he took off towards the grounds, not stopping until he was plunged into the freezing air. He felt his tears freeze on his face as he bashed his knuckles into the stone exterior of the castle again and again, stopping only when his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. He focused on the blood-stained snow, wondering where it had all gone wrong.


	53. Chapter 53

**FIFTY-THREE**

_**Friday, 19 December 1944**_

Once Hermione had been able to pick herself up off the floor, she fled to her dorm. She didn't care that people stopped and stared or that whispers traversed the hall. By the time she flung herself across her bed to stare up at the ceiling, she found that there weren't any sobs left in her. Instead, she just lay there with only her misery to keep her company.

The next morning, the it was clear the rumor mill had worked hard through the night. It seemed they had confirmed everything when their gazes met across the common room and they turned away from each other as if they were strangers passing in the night.

Hermione was only too glad to know that the rumor of why they broke up was still undetermined. Even more glad that Riddle seemed to keep his distance from her as to not confirm it for anyone.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Tuesday had been the last day of normal classes as Friday was the end of term. Those that were not staying in the castle over the winter break would be leaving on Saturday morning. Wednesday and Thursday were their midterm exams for each of their classes. The moment she was done with them, she would leave the classroom. Sad and broken though she may be, she was still Hermione Granger. She was the first one done in each class, affording her more time to be alone.

She spent a vast majority of her time in her room behind the safety of her wards. Wednesday night Agnes had tried to cheer her up, but she had done nothing more than cry on her shoulder without saying a word. By the time she was ready for bed that night, she was thankful for the gesture, no matter how small.

Each night she continued to practice what she could of her Grey magic. She pushed her limits each time. With every session she found more and more success. She could conjure things out of thin air, much like the rose that first night, but on Thursday when she crushed it, it stayed solid instead of bursting into smoke. Same for her appearance. It was getting easier to change what she wanted at will and she was able to adjust up to three features for at least thirty seconds at a time.

She had even successfully conjured a bowl of pumpkin soup from thin air.

Friday there weren't any classes. Instead, students spent the day enjoying the grounds, the ambiance of the castle all decked out for the holiday, or talking about the upcoming feast. There was also mention of Slughorn's party. When Agnes had first asked her to join, she had been assaulted with the memory of the one from Sixth Year. The one where Ron had abandoned her for Lavender. The one where Harry had asked Luna over her; forgetting she was a girl too. The one where Cormac had shoved his tongue so far down her throat she had almost gagged on it.

The one where Draco had been caught sneaking into.

But even after her refusal, Agnes insisted. With a heavy sigh, she had given in and Agnes had informed her that they were going to go together as friends. Mid-afternoon when they began to get ready, Hermione had asked where Gertrude and Kalista had gone. It was unusual for them not to get ready together. Weakly, Agnes had said they were getting ready with friends in other houses.

Deep down, Hermione knew it was because Kalista _knew_. She was the one who had seen the two of them leave the bathroom that night. She had known Hermione was lying the last Hogsmeade trip. Kalista thought she knew the real reason for Draco breaking up with her and she faulted Hermione for it. As for Gertrude, she had never been one to connect with her anyway so it made sense that she stuck with Kalista on this.

Hermione faulted herself, so she didn't blame her roommate too much.

"It'll just be you and I tonight," Agnes said with a smile as she waved her wand at Hermione's hair. She adjusted it just enough to keep the frizz tamed and then pulled the top layer back, leaving a few wisps behind to frame her face. "No boys."

"No boys," Hermione repeated, wondering if Riddle would allow her to stick to that pact. He had kept his distance from her all week and she wasn't sure if it was because he was focused on midterms or if he hadn't decided what he wanted to do about her yet. Either way, Slughorn was his favorite professor and Riddle his favorite student. There was no way he was going to miss the party.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Her dress was fitted in the waist with a higher, square neckline and long, tapered sleeves. The color was a deep burgundy with gold trim; the only thing in days that had put a smile on her face. It felt good to be in Gryffindor colors again. The dress was a bit fuller than she was used to and fell to about mid shin. She had transfigured her flats into heels and then added stabilizing and cushioning charms to them so that she could walk and stay on her feet.

"Are you going to give it back?" Agnes asked, their gazes meeting in the mirror.

Hermione realized she was fingering the sapphire around her throat. "I don't…" She cleared her throat. "He hasn't asked for it."

"If he does?"

Hermione shrugged and brought her hand away, turning away from the mirror. "Are you ready?" she countered, not wanting to think about Draco.

Agnes was silent for a moment before nodding and then following Hermione out of the dorm. She hooked her arm through Hermione's when they got to the common room and filled the air around them with mindless chatter and gossip, the action bringing a small smile to Hermione's face.

* * *

Agnes' gestures were appreciated as the party wore on. She dragged Hermione from group to group, always keeping the conversation up so that her mind was constantly distracted. It reminded her of her Ginny and she took comfort in her presence the way she would of the youngest Weasley. Even when she spotted Draco among a group of Slytherins at the drink station, Hermione kept her focus on Agnes.

But she knew Agnes couldn't babysit her forever. At some point, her conversation took her to Kalista and a group of other pureblood witches. She excused herself and walked to the drink station after checking that it was clear. She filled her cup and took a deep breath.

"Need something a little stronger?"

She turned to see Kerus giving her the faintest of grins. He opened his jacket just enough for her to see the flask hidden there. Her eyes flitted around the room and she shrugged her shoulders, handing over her cup. He took it and added the smallest of splashes before handing it back to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just something to loosen you up," he said with a wink.

She eyed him wearily and looked at the contents of her cup. "If this is some kind of-"

"It's just alcohol," he interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not one to go around drugging witches." He pulled at the lapel on his jacket and smirked. "I typically just need to flash my dazzling smile and casually mention my vault."

Hermione snorted and took a hesitant drink. After a moment of nothing unusual happening, she took another. "Thank you."

"So," he started, getting his own cup. "Do you think they'll fight over you tonight? You know, put on a show before we go home for the holidays?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Enjoy the party, Kerus," she said, stepping away from him.

"Hey, I spiked your drink," he said, hurrying to block her path. "The least you could do is-"

"Kerus, I believe Miss Granger was politely telling you to leave her alone."

Kerus' smile died instantly from his face and he took a step back, inclining his head at Riddle. Hermione's gaze locked onto his as if she was no longer able to see anyone else in the room. Kerus cleared his throat and disappeared into the crowd without another word or glance at either of them.

"I didn't need your help."

Riddle shrugged and the corners of his lips curved into a smile as he took in her appearance. "You look rather exquisite tonight."

Hermione went still as she processed the fact that she had received a compliment from him. A real one. One that didn't have a threat attached to it or any other intention to hurt her.

"Th-thank you," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Her eyes flitted nervously around the room, taking stock of how a majority of the people were sending glances there way and whispering among themselves. Her mind went haywire with a million different thoughts and her chest heaved with inability to catch her breath. If he had tried to get into her mind to calm her as he had always done in the past, it wasn't working. She continued to spiral, losing herself in her panic.

He reached up towards and she flinched back, her hip colliding with the table. His eyes darkened a touch with anger, but he played it off with adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "Are you planning to throw this drink at me?"

The room was starting to spin and she vaguely wondered if Kerus hadn't been lying. That whatever it was he had spiked her drink with was more than just alcohol. People were still looking at her and she could hear her name carrying through their hushed whispers. She gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

_Let me in_.

"I can't," she whispered aloud, cursing a tear that fell down her cheek. She was so tired of crying.

_You will._

She let her gaze meet his again and begged him to understand. She wasn't shutting him out on purpose. If he was going to quell her panic with the warmth of his mind, she would gladly welcome it. She had no intention of losing it in front of so many people, but her walls had raised on their own accord. When she reached for them herself, her mental fingers just slipped down the surface as they pulled farther away than before.

"There you are!" Agnes said, coming up to them with a smile on her face.

Hermione sucked in a large gulp of air and reveled in the way it burned her lungs as they finally filled. At the same time, Riddle's presence slipped in and the warmth hit her hard enough to make her nearly lose her balance. "Agnes," Riddle greeted, reigning himself in just a bit.

"Sorry, but Harmony and I have a no boys pact tonight," Agnes said with a smile at Riddle. "Harmony, would you like to-"

Hermione set her half-empty cup down on the table beside her and shook her head. "I was just about to get some air," she interrupted, mustering as much of a smile as she could.

Agnes' shoulders slumped in disappointment for a moment as she gave a nod. "Oh." She looked between her and Riddle and her brows shot up. "Oh! Uh, I'll see you before I leave tomorrow?"

Hermione nodded and watched Agnes slip away. When her friend had successfully disappear into the crowd, Hermione's gaze refocused and she found herself staring at Draco. His gaze was intense and sad as he stared back at her. Riddle withdrew from her mind, refocusing her gaze from Draco to him. She cleared her throat and turned to leave without saying another word.

* * *

She slipped out of the party and into the silence of the corridor. She rested for a moment against the wall and took a deep breath. She wanted to just head back to the dorm and call it a night, but when she pushed away from the wall, she found herself walking towards the stairs and going up instead of down. It wasn't until she stopped walking that she realized she had made it to the Astronomy Tower as if she had gone on autopilot.

The frigid air burned its way into her lungs despite the wards placed around the barrier. When she exhaled, frost hung in the air before her. She stepped up to the railing and leaned against it, looking down at the grounds, watching the snow fall and shimmer in the faint light of the waning moon.

Her thoughts were still racing a mile a minute, her emotions spinning out of control. When it came to Riddle, she was downright fearful; for her body, her mind, her life. All of it he had proven more than once that he could take from her with little effort. She thought of all of their encounters over the past few months. She knew part of her fear stemmed from her reaction to his touch. It boggled her, how he could do the things he did, say the things he said, and carve her the way he had and her body would still react this way. That she would still _want _him to some degree. The line between fear and desire was blurred beyond recognition.

She wasn't sure what that said about her.

That despite what he did to her; the threats, the ravaging of her body, the physical harm, she knew he cared for her in his own way. Voldemort as she knew had never cared for anything in his life. If his followers, no matter how devout, stepped a toe out of line, he would maim or kill them without a second thought. She had heard the stories about how his Legilimency brought about the worst pain imaginable, but he had always been gentle with her.

"Why me?" she asked.

She didn't have to turn around to know that Riddle had followed her. He hadn't made a noise or done anything to indicate that he was there, but she _knew_. She always knew.

"What was it about me that drew you in?"

He came to stand behind her, close enough she could feel the heat of him, but far enough that they weren't touching. "Your mind," he replied, his hands coming to rest on either side of hers on the railing. "Your power." He shifted just a fraction closer. "Your fear."

"You're still drawn to all of those things," she pointed out, eyes fixating on a single spot on the snow below. "My blood status doesn't change any of that."

"I will not apologize," he said, repeating his notions from the week before.

"I don't want your apology."

"Then what is it that you _do _want, Hermione?"

She let go of the railing and turned in his arms to stare up at him through her lashes. Slowly, she brought her hands up until they could rest flat on his chest. "What I want," she stared, taking a deep breath and maintaining eye contact. "Is to be left alone." With that, she gave a hard shove.

He was quick to react as he closed the distance between them, pressing her against the railing. His eyes were blazing fire; a hurricane over raging grey seas as his hands came away from the railing and dug into her hips. Her lips parted in pain from the amount of pressure his fingers applied, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her. Not this time. He pushed at her hips, trying to turn her, but she fought it.

The resonating sound of skin striking skin surprised them both, as did the sting in her palm. Her eyes dropped to his cheek to see that it was turning pink where she had landed her blow. When her gaze flickered back up to his, rage had blown his pupils wide. Like a snake, he struck, his hand moving from her hip to grab at her forearm, pressing down on the mark he'd left until she cried out in pain.

"Was this lesson not enough for you?" he asked, lowering his face to hers. "Should I carve _whore _into your other arm? Give you a matching set?"

His lips had brushed against hers as he spoke and at his last word, she latched her teeth around his bottom lip and bit as hard as she could. He hissed and withdrew from her, bringing his hand up to his lip, staring at his thumb in surprise when it came away wet with blood. He turned narrowed eyes on her, watching as her tongue darted out to wipe the drops he had left behind on her lips. The metallic tang was sharp as it hit her tongue, but she didn't react as she swallowed it down.

"Just leave me alone," she said, pulling at her dress.

His smile left her feeling colder than the December snow. "Where should I go?" he asked, wiping away a few more drops of blood from the split in his lip. "Back to the party?" He reached for her just like she knew he would. His fingers wrapped around her throat, squeezing just enough to emphasize the threat. "Perhaps it is time Draco learns the truth. Should I bring him back with me? Make him watch?"

"You've already threatened me with something like that before," she said, throwing caution to the wind. "You're losing your touch."

His fingers tightened, cutting off her air supply. Just like she had expected. _Good_, she thought to herself. _Maybe if I provoke him enough, he'll kill me and it'll all be over_.

"I will bring him to death's door. I will paint you with his life's blood. I will make it so the last thing he sees is your face while you come for me. The last thing he hears will be you screaming my name." He squeezed harder, her vision prickling with spots. Defensively, her hands came up to claw at his hand. "And once his life is finally extinguished, I will continue to fuck you over his corpse." He smirked at her as he licked his lips. "Is that different enough for you, Hermione?"

She brought her hand away from his and slashed at his face. She felt her nails rake through the flesh of his cheek. She felt his skin tear away and lodge beneath her nails. His blood welled and dripped down his face just as it coated her fingers. He let go of her and stepped back again, raising a hand to his torn face. His blood stained her throat as she massaged it while she gulped air into her lungs.

"It bothers you, doesn't it, _Tom_?" she goaded, smirking at the way his eyes darkened at the use of his given name. "How much you still want me and my muddy blood. Tell me," she said, hiking up the sleeve on her left arm to expose the mark. "Was this punishment really meant for me? Or was it to serve as a reminder for your own self-loathing?"

He went to reach for her, his lips parting as if to speak, but she lashed out with her magic. She felt it coil around his vocal cords, pressing enough to keep him silent at the same time it pinned his arms to his sides and brought him to his knees. He stared up at her, red now visible around the edges of his irises.

She stepped forward, keeping his gaze on his as she brought her hands up between them. She pressed her index finger into her right palm and dragged down. Her skin spliced open as though she had a dagger in her hand rather than just her magic. Blood welled and dripped down, splashing on the ground between them. His gaze flickered to her hand and then back up to hers. She could feel his struggle in the restraints of her magic.

She continued to look him in the eye as she brought her hand up and pressed her wound against the still bleeding marks she had left on his cheek. His nostrils flared and she could feel his anger clashing against her magic, seeping into her skin the same way her blood mingled with his.

"Now you're just as filthy as I am."

She saw it the moment he snapped. An eerie calm settled over his features. His eyes dilated and he stopped struggling. Like a lion freezing the second before it pounced at the antelope. His magic slammed against hers and she gasped as he broke her hold. He pushed her against the wall next to the railing, her head bouncing off the stone causing her vision to blur. He grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and yanked them over her head, pinning them there as his leg wedged itself between hers.

His other hand fisted her hair, tugging her head back against the stone. Her lips parted at the roughness of his movements and she squirmed against him which only resulted in his thigh coming up further until it hit her core. A moan tore from her throat at the action, one that he silenced by slanting his mouth over hers. He hissed as the split in his lip reopened, flavoring their kiss with fresh blood. When she bit at his lip again, he growled and tugged her head away from his.

Her victory of being the one to inflict pain was short lived as he moved his lips down the side of her face and to her throat, leaving behind a trail of blood. As his teeth fastened around her flesh, biting down with enough force she was sure broke the skin, she cried out. Her hips rolled on their own volition over his thigh.

He relinquished his hold of her hands and when she brought them down, it was to tug at his clothes, mimicking his movements. His mouth claimed hers again as the sound of fabric ripping filled the space between them. When they were complete bare before the other, he tried to turn her again. She shoved at him, her blood smearing his chest wherever she touched.

She tried to strike him again, but this time, he caught hold of her wrist. She cried out as he twisted her arm, bending it at the elbow. She had no choice but to turn instead of allowing him to break her arm. He shoved her forward, the rough stone wall tearing at her cheek. A grunt passed her lips as he yanked her head back by the hair with one hand, releasing her arm to slide down the curve of her hip until his fingers slipped through her core with the other.

She flattened both of her palms against the wall and shoved back with all her might, throwing them off balance. She turned to face him again and she felt his magic pressing down, trying to force her to her knees. She lashed out with her own, the resulting clash sending them both to the ground. She hissed from the cold at her back and arched her body into his where he had landed on top of her.

He pushed himself up on his forearms, but she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him from getting up completely. She felt his cock twitch against her and her hips rose again as the primal urge to be filled overwhelmed her. She reached for him, wanting to dig her nails into his skin and tear him open again; to remind him that she wasn't the only one that could be physically harmed.

He leaned back as best he could and quickly reached for her hands. He laced their fingers together and stretched both of her arms over her head. The action brought his body flush against hers and as he leaned in to suckle the curve of her throat, he pushed his way inside her entrance, filling her to the hilt in a single stroke.

Her fingers tightened on his as her body arched and she moaned loud enough she was sure any passerby could hear her from the hall below. He shuddered above her and groaned into her skin, his teeth nipping at her clavicle. With a roll of her hips, he began to move, setting a pace that was hard and fast.

She could feel his hold on her hands slipping in the slick of her bloody palm. She reached out with her magic and he hissed at the way it sliced his palm. He pulled his head up to glare at her as their blood flowed freely between them, mixing together at the source. He tried to let go, but only allowed him to remove his other hand which went straight to her throat.

She met him thrust for thrust, keeping up his brutal pace as her need for release increased. Her free hand rested on his shoulder, digging in until small drops of blood began to spill down his arm, dropping down onto her skin as well. He trembled above her and groaned as her inner walls clutched desperately at his cock.

He leaned in, closing his mouth over hers. She moaned into the heated kiss; their magics forming a connection with a visible spark. As they both lost themselves, she could feel his pleasure and that he was experiencing hers as well. As if it wasn't just their bodies that were connected, but their minds as well, sending them to untold places of pleasure. A place where she floated above the heavens; completely weightless. A place where Riddle's presence wrapped around her own until she couldn't tell where he began and she ended.

When she came back down to reality, Riddle's mouth was still on hers, but the hatred had ebbed. His lips were hungry as they feasted on hers, but the urgency was gone. The anger had given way to pure lust as his tongue caressed hers; tasting every bit of her that she offered. The connection was still there, the magic wrapping around them like the veins of an Unbreakable Vow. Already she could feel him stirring back to life inside of her core, but just as she lifted her hips to initiate another round, the sound of something toppling below followed by a slew of muttered curses had them both going still.

Riddle was on his feet in the time it took her to draw a breath. She shuddered as his heat was quickly replaced by the frigid temperature of the night. By the time she let out her breath, Riddle had stepped into his trousers. No sooner had he pulled them around his hips, only zipping them, he disappeared down the stairs.

At the first sound of a struggle below, Hermine reached for the ruins of her dress. She had barely tugged it down her body when Riddle reappeared at the top of the stairs, no longer alone. She froze at the sight of Kerus being dropped unceremoniously to the ground at her feet. His eyes were fluttering rapidly from behind closed lids and he was moaning and writhing in pain. There was a large gash on his temple, his blood flowing in spurts down his forehead.

"He was watching us."

Hermione stared down at him, wondering what in the world he could have been thinking. She sank to her knees beside him, placing her hand on his chest, watching as saliva frothed at the corners of his mouth. "He's having a seizure."

"Then I suggest you act quickly if you do not want him to suffer."

She snatched her hand away and looked up at Riddle. "I can't heal him. I nearly died after-"

"I want you to put him out of his misery, Hermione, not heal him."

The room spun and where there had been one Riddle, there was now two. She closed her eyes against the vertigo and swallowed hard. When she reopened her eyes, Riddle had crouched down on the other side of Kerus, facing her.

"I can't…"

"You will," he countered. "You told me you wanted to make a Horcrux." He gestured to Kerus between them. "The opportunity has presented itself."

Her throat went dry and her eyes misted with tears at the thought of taking someone's life. Each breath she took became more shallow until she was bordering on hyperventilation. "I don't… I can't… Please don't-"

"Anything I wanted," he said, his voice stern. "Those were your terms. I want this. I want to see you give in to the Dark, Hermione." He extended his hand to her over Kerus; the one she had sliced open with her magic. A few drops of blood dripped down, staining Kerus' shirt. "You were the one to choose this above all other forms of Dark magic. You can pretend for everyone else that you read everything you could about the practice for educational purposes, but I know better. You wanted to mix your blood with mine to show me we are not so different? Prove it. Show me how similar we are."

Their magics were still connected. She could feel his presence coiled around her core; feel his excitement teasing at her fear. Slowly she lifted her hand to his, their blood mixing once more. He held tight as she focused on Kerus' face. Where there should have been fear sending her running for the hills, she only found curiosity. Where she should have hated the idea of taking a life, she found compassion. He was suffering. He was going to die whether it was by her hand or not.

She brought her other hand between them, surprised to find how steady she was as she lowered it to Kerus' chest. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes to remain open and on him as she pushed forward with her magic. She felt it penetrate his skin, sinking down until it could reach his own magical core. Her fingers tingled as she grasped it. She gasped as Riddle urged her on with a squeeze to her hand in his. With another sharp intake of breath, she tugged until Kerus' core snapped. His body seized once before falling flat against the floor, never to move again.

She hissed in pain as there was a tug at the seam of Riddle's wound. She could feel her magic surging forward through him, reaching for something. She closed her eyes and saw a shard of his soul. A little sphere of black and red, much like the one she had seen in his memory. Her magic pulled it back until it hovered in the space between their touch.

She could feel her own soul splintering as his entered her psyche. Hers was silver and gold, twisting and glittering like a diamond made of smoke. The two shards clashed together, leaving her breathless. Hers wrapped around his, engulfing it as if to hide the darkness from poking through. She cried out as the married fragments left her body, hovering before her for a moment, casting an ethereal glow between them.

Without warning it moved towards her, settling into the sapphire hanging at her throat. The force of it knocked her backwards. Her hand tore from Riddle's in order to catch herself before landing on her back. The necklace warmed considerably and she bit back a scream as it scorched her skin. Just as she thought she might pass out, the burning stopped and she closed her eyes, body sagging in relief.

She felt herself being lifted to her feet followed by the heat of Riddle as he wrapped himself around her. His lips tugged at hers as his hands smeared blood across her jaw on its way back to her hair. The realization that their connection had severed the moment the Horcrux had been made hit her hard, twisting her gut as if she missed it.

She pulled her lips from his as another thought crossed her mind. Did he know she had taken a part of his soul? That it was tightly wrapped up in hers, trapped together in the sapphire at her throat? As she turned her head up to meet his gaze, it was clear that he didn't. She didn't know how she knew, but she _knew. _She sealed the memory up tight, locking it away with her Grey magic so that he would remain ignorant of their mixed creation.

"Go back to the dorm."

"But-"

"Let me worry about Kerus," he stated, slowly letting go and stepping away from her. "Now, Hermione. Go."

Without another moment of hesitation, she fled.


	54. Chapter 54

**FIFTY-FOUR**

_**Monday, 22 December 1944**_

Draco had thought that with all the people having left the castle for the holidays, it would be even harder to keep his distance from Hermione and Riddle. He thought for sure Riddle would be flaunting it in his face every chance he got that Hermione was his now, especially after he had followed her out of Slughorn's party. But when it came down to it, he hadn't seen much of either of them. Riddle he saw occasionally, usually in the middle of the night or in the morning getting ready. Each time he saw him, Riddle kept to himself.

He hadn't seen Hermione since she stormed out of the party Friday night. According to her roommates, they weren't even sure if she was in her bed due to the wards. He had been afraid Riddle might have done something and checked the Room of Requirement, but she wasn't there. It did nothing to ease his growing worry and he berated himself for even feeling that way when he shouldn't be caring about her at all.

Monday morning, when he opened the door to his dorm, he ducked as something flew straight to his head. It missed him, only to come back around and try again. He continued to dodge it until he realized it was a note in the guise of a bird. He flicked his wand and it turned inanimate once more, dropping to the floor with a little thud. He picked it up and opened it, clenching his jaw at the familiar sight of Hermione's elegant scrawl.

_Will you please meet with me tonight? I need to talk to you about Thursday. My room, eleven._

He tossed the note back to the floor and set it on fire, watching until the last of the flames died out and then vanishing the pile of ash. _Thursday_, he mused, trying to recall what was so special about that day. When realization kicked in, his mouth curled in contempt. Christmas. _What on earth could she possibly have to say to be about the holiday?_ He thought bitterly.

He spent the rest of the day debating on whether or not he would go. He had caught a glimpse of her at breakfast. He had taken residence at their normal spot at the end. She had briefly made eye contact with him as she chose a spot further down. He had taken all of two more bites before Riddle entered the room and took a seat across from her. Having received the message loud and clear, he shoved his plate away and left the Great Hall.

* * *

It was fast approaching eleven that night when he finally decided to stop pacing his room and hurry down the corridor until he reached her room. She opened the door when he knocked and he followed her into the privacy of her wards. He wondered if she had adjusted them to let him in so they could talk or if she had never banned him at all.

"Shouldn't you be discussing holiday plans with your new boyfriend?" he asked, letting his anger get the best of him.

She had the audacity to let her eyes water for a moment as she stared at him. She cleared her throat and blinked a few times before narrowing her eyes at him. His anger flared when she didn't deny it before she spoke. "Thursday is the next New Moon," she said, her voice flat. "I can't help that it fell on the holiday."

His eyes widened in surprise. With everything that had happened, he had nearly forgotten about the door and the possibility of going home. "I'm surprised you still want to leave."

He forced himself not to react at the way she flinched. "Don't be an idiot, Malfoy. Of course I want to leave."

He bit his tongue to hold in his comment. "What about your project? You think he's just going to let you meet up with me? Does he even know that there's potential you could just not return one day?"

"He knows that I'm still researching how to get home, but he doesn't know we have a theory nailed down."

Draco snorted. "I suppose I feel a bit better in knowing I'm not the only one you lie to."

"Draco-"

"What time on Thursday? Same as usual or do you have plans?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she not to lash out at him. He could see the cogs of her mind turning with the need to fight, but she managed to let it go. For now. "As far as I know, nine should work. We're supposed to be on break, so I don't know if we're doing an observation night or not. If something changes, I'll let you know."

"And if you get held up?"

"Wait for me," she whispered, her voice light; eyes pleading. "Please… Just don't leave me here alone."

Something about the way she said that last bit made the knots in his stomach tighten to the point he thought he might snap. For a moment, doubt crept into his mind about the decision he had made; about his assumptions. But when he blinked, she had composed herself again and he took a deep breath. He gave a curt nod. "I'll give you until eleven. If you're not there, you're on your own."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of her room.

* * *

_**Thursday, 25 December 1944**_

Draco had kept himself distracted by making the acquaintance of a few students from the other houses. He spent the following few days playing board games and filling the time with idle chit-chat. It had helped ease the ache, knowing that he was alone on Christmas Eve. They gave him something to refocus on when his mind continued to wander to thoughts of Hermione.

Christmas night, however, he found himself reading in the common room. He wasn't surprised when she came out of her dorm shortly before they were to meet and take a seat on the couch opposite him, closer to the fire. She picked up a random book and trained her eyes to it, but he knew she wasn't reading a word. Just as he wasn't. From the glance he allowed himself to steal of her, he noted that she wore the clothes they had come through the door in. He too was wearing the same clothes from their arrival and wondered if both of them were being too optimistic.

When the time approached for them to leave, he felt the hairs on his body stand at attention and a shudder ripple down his spine a moment before Riddle entered the common room. Hermione looked up at him in surprise. Draco tried his best to keep his eyes on his book, but his gaze kept lifting to the pair across from him. He scowled as Riddle plucked the book from her hand then curled his fingers around her chin, lifting her face up to him.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

"For what?"

Riddle frowned. "The New Moon. I see no reason we cannot spare a moment of the night to make an observation." Hermione's gaze flickered to Draco for a moment and he wondered if Riddle noticed. "Have you forgotten?"

"No, I just… The holiday…" she answered weakly.

"It is just another day," he said, his hand falling away from her chin only to take the necklace Draco had given her between his fingers. Draco struggled to keep his anger from getting the best of him. He had never planned on asking for the necklace back, but if Riddle was going to make a show of defiling it with his touch in front of him, he would be demanding it back tonight.

Hermione pushed herself to her feet, knocking Riddle's hand away from the necklace in the process. "Fine, let's make it quick. It's cold."

Riddle chuckled and Draco closed his eyes a moment too late; the image of his hand at the small of her back forever burned into his memory. "Nothing a warming charm cannot cure."

Whatever her response was was lost to Draco as the common room door shut. He hurled the book across the room and took to pacing in front of the fireplace. He gave it ten minutes before he allowed himself to head to the Room of Requirement, knowing that if he saw them together in the halls, he wouldn't be able to control himself.

When he entered the room, he stomped through the stacks of junk until he came across the spot. The door was already there. Like last time, it was more than just a door; there was a frame and a bit behind it making it look like someone had built a closet in the middle of the room for no reason.

With a heavy sigh, he plopped down onto the floor, vaguely aware of what happened the last time he had leaned against this particular stack, and closed his eyes while he waited for Hermione to show up.

* * *

Hermione forced herself not to hesitate as she climbed the stairs to the observation deck of the Astronomy Tower. She refused to think of the last time she had been here; of the way Kerus' core had snapped, ending his life with a simple touch of her hand. Or the way she had painted Riddle with her blood, mixed her own with his, and fucked him as though she had never wanted anything more. It was all so unlike her, but yet she had never felt more like herself since.

"Why are we even here?" she asked, wrapping her arms about herself. Despite the heating charms and the wards on the tower, it was still well below freezing outside. "It's not like we actually do anything Astronomy related here anymore."

Riddle's lips curved into a smile and he gave a curt nod. "I wanted to see if you would crumble when faced with this place again, knowing what you had done."

She tilted her nose up arrogantly at him. "Sorry to disappoint you."

He moved closer to her, his gaze chilling her more than the air. "Believe me, I am the furthest from disappointed I could possibly be."

"Even though you have my blood tainting your precious lineage?"

"Christmas is a holiday, Hermione. Perhaps we can rehash your affinity for blood play another night."

She was quick to avert her gaze as heat flamed her face.

After a moment of silence between them, she asked, "Have you decided what you plan to do with me if you win?"

"No."

"What's the hold up?" she asked, turning to look at him again. "I think it would be fairly easy. It's just a matter of if you hate me and my dirty blood enough to make me a slave, or if you like my power and mind enough to make me your equal?"

He stared at her, his eyes as dark as the sky behind her. "I believe it was you who pointed out that a child conceived under heavy doses of Amortentia is incapable of love."

"I don't want your love." She wondered if it was a trick of the light or if disappointment had been the flicker she saw in his eyes. "I want your respect. For you to keep your word once it's been given. For you to make a decision and stick with it."

"You assume I have already made my choice and that it is to make you my queen."

"Haven't you?" She tipped her head to the side and studied him. "Do you expect me to believe that of all the times you were in my head, you never once learned who I was?" she asked, her voice low. "Or was it that you just turned a blind eye to it; that you wanted to ignore it because you liked everything else that I had to offer?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction, but she could see the anger that simmered beneath the surface.

"Our stories aren't really all that different," she pressed.

Amusement lit his eyes as he tipped his head. "How do you figure?"

"We were both born into a world we knew nothing about until we turned eleven. We both had such powerful cores that no one understood. My parents tried, they really did, but they were scared of me. I heard them whisper to themselves when they thought I was too lost in a book, wondering what they should do with me. If they should seek professional help." She took a deep breath. "The kids at school called me a freak so I kept my distance and soon they let me be. I buried my nose in book after book, hiding in corners and wherever else I could be to stay hidden.

"I know a little bit of your time at the orphanage. Harry had a connection with you; he knew some things and shared it with me. Dumbledore also shared some of his memories. Mostly of the day he came to tell you about your true nature. That you had been accepted into Hogwarts."

Riddle's eyes had darkened at the mention of his childhood. "I was abandoned-"

"You weren't. Not really. Your mother was sick. She was too repressed; abused. Her escape was the one she fabricated with your father. She gambled to the extreme and it didn't pay off. But she did you a favor in the end."

His jaw clenched and she felt his anger emanate off of him. "A favor? Being raised as a Muggle in a place where society places those they do not wish to deal with? I am the Heir of Slytherin, I-"

"Would you have rather have been left to be raised by your Muggle father who was essentially raped? Who was put into a false state of love and forced to father a child?" she asked. "Or would you rather have been raised by your grandfather and uncle?" she pressed. "The same two figures who suppressed your mother's magic. The same two that abused her and would have killed her in the end. They probably would have killed you for being a Halfblood. They wouldn't have cared that half of your blood was their own. At least in the orphanage you had a chance at a real life. A chance to find a family and a purpose in this world."

Their connection the other day along with the piece of his soul mingled with hers that was housed around her neck allowed her to see the cracks in his mask. She was making him think, making him face fears and truths he wished to keep buried.

"There is more to life than prejudice and purity. You harbor such an anger over something you can't control. Muggleborn, Halfblood, Pureblood… None of it matters. It's the magic that matters. And what you do with it when you have it." Slowly, she raised her arms. He tensed as her hands cupped his face. "You've always been afraid to let people in. You decided the day we met that you'd let me in. All you've ever wanted was to be accepted. You don't have to build a regime based on fear to achieve that, Tom."

"You think you have me all figured out," he said. "You think I just want someone to love me and tell me everything will be okay. That the world will just open up after Hogwarts because I possess powerful magic." He reached for her left arm, his fingers squeezing over her mark. She winced, but refused to make a sound. "You know nothing of the world, Hermione. The world relies on power, money, prestige. Possessing only one of those three will never be enough. I need them all in order to get the recognition I deserve."

He squeezed harder and this time she couldn't stifle the cry of pain that escaped her lips.

"Did you know the other bloodlines of the Founders of Hogwarts have died out? That I am the last?" He reached up with his other arm, his hand sinking back into her hair to pull her closer to him. "Even with that pedigree, the wizarding world will never fully accept me simply because my lineage has been tainted with Muggle blood."

"So you set out to make everyone bow at your feet and wipe out an entire group of those that possess magic simply because you despise a part of yourself?" She grit her teeth against the pain in her arm from his touch. "Why not try to fix it by harmonizing it?"

His laugh was bitter as he relinquished his hold on her and took a step back. "Your romantic notions for world peace make it very hard to resist the urge to kill you."

Hermione carefully folded her arms over her chest again, her left still humming with pain from being squeezed. "So is that a yes?" she asked. "That you've decided my fate?"

"When the time comes, you will surrender to me. You will forsake your precious Order and vow before the masses that you belong to me and only me," he said, stepped back towards her. "And in exchange, I will treat you as my equal and name you my queen. We can discuss what our combined rule will look like once I have won. The _only_ concession of life I will allow is Draco's, but if you ever go behind my back for any reason, his will be the first one I take."

"Even if he doesn't bow down to you, you'll let him live?"

He hesitated for a moment, but inclined his head. "Do not make me regret this, Hermione."

She swallowed hard at the thought of making a deal with the devil. At betraying everyone she knew and everything she stood for. She stretched out her right hand, surprised to see that it wasn't shaking. He placed his in hers and she felt their skin heat with the form of a magical bond. It wasn't deadly like an Unbreakable Vow, but it was powerful transaction of oathtaking in its own right. When she lowered her hand from his, she turned towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To bed. I'm tired," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. "And no, I don't want you to escort me back to the dungeons. I need a few minutes to myself."

His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed, but he gave her a curt nod. "I shall see you in the morning then."

_Not if my instincts are right about tonight_, she thought, making sure not to broadcast. Aloud, she agreed, "In the morning," and then made her descent.

* * *

Draco checked the time with a flick of his wand in what felt like every twenty minutes, but had turned out to be every two minutes. At quarter to ten he was getting restless. He had given her to eleven, but his anxiety and nerves were through the roof. The door was right there. Five steps forward and he could open it and potentially be home. Each time they had seen it, more progress seemed to be made. He could feel it in his bones that this time it would happen.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the door opening and then being shut with more force than necessary. A few moments later, Hermione turned the corner and attempted to flash a smile at him. "Sorry, I didn't know he was-"

"Spare me the details."

She huffed and then scowled at him. "Draco-"

"I want the necklace back," he said, marching up to her until he was right in her face. He held out his hand expectantly. He saw her eyes widen in fear for a second and she shook her head, her hand raising to close over the jewel. "It was a present meant to symbolize my love for you. Since that's gone, I-"

"I can't give it to you."

His lips curled into a sneer a moment before he reached out with the intention of yanking it from her throat. She dropped her hand in fright, but as his fingers curled around it, he hissed in pain and pulled back immediately. He stared at the angry red welts on his fingers, flexing them for a moment before looking back at her. "What the fuck did you do to it?"

"He cursed it," she said, reaching out to see the damage on his hand, but he stepped further out of reach. "It burns anyone who intends to take it off. Even me."

Slowly, his flesh healed before his eyes and he dropped his hand. "Fine, keep the bloody thing. I hope you remember what you did every time you look at it."

"Draco-"

"It seems you might have gotten lost, Hermione."

She whirled around at the same time Draco's attention snapped up to Riddle coming around the corner. "I just wanted closure," she said, her voice shaking.

Draco made the mistake of letting his gaze slide to the door. Riddle had been staring at him and he tracked the motion. His eyes narrowed before he turned his gaze to Hermione. "What lies beyond the door?" he asked.

"Nothing," they said in unison, both of them flinching at their dead giveaway.

Riddle took a deep breath, giving an almost bored stare to both of them. "I am in no mood to play games tonight. Tell me what you really came here for or I consider this going behind my back and kill him."

Draco's lips parted to argue, but Riddle flicked his wrist and he went toppling to his knees. He couldn't even move to struggle against the might of his magic. All he could do was stare, wide-eyed and open mouthed at the two of them.

Riddle's impatience was plain on his face as he looked at Hermione and took a step forward. She moved closer to Draco and held out her hands to get Riddle to stop advancing. "It's our way home!" she blurted. "We fell through same door to get here and it only appears on the night of the New Moon."

Riddle's anger was tangible and Draco continued to struggle.

"And if it worked tonight?" he asked, stepping closer to her, staring down the length of his nose. Draco hated that he was impressed by Hermione when she didn't back down. "You would have gone back home and left me in the dark?"

"We made a deal," she said.

Draco looked back and forth between them, his thoughts running wild wondering what kind of deal those two could have struck.

"One that could easily be upheld when I get back to the future," she added.

"You are not going anywhere, Hermione."

Draco saw her resolve fading and he struggled harder. "Then let me send Draco back."

"He knows far too much. To send him would be a liability."

"I'll Obliviate him."

Draco had only thought he knew betrayal before. He definitely knew it now and it felt like she had physically removed his heart from his chest with her bare hands. When he shut his eyes for a moment, he could almost see it as though it were real.

"You think you can remove these last few months from his mind? Completely? Without any way to reverse it?"

"I've done it before," she said and Draco saw the tear sliding down her cheek. "I've removed my entire existence from the minds of people I care deeply about just to keep them safe from you. I would do it for him too." Draco thought he was going to be sick as she reached up and laid a hand on Riddle's arm. "Please," she begged. "Let me send him home. I'll remove everything so he won't remember and…" Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat. "And I'll stay."

The seconds it took for Riddle to consider her proposal stretched on for what felt like eternity. As he nodded in acquisition, Draco felt the hold on him give way and he shot to his feet. Hermione turned towards him with her wand pointed directly between his eyes. He stared at the piece of wood for a moment before refocusing his gaze on the witch at the end of it.

"Go ahead. I actually think I would prefer not to remember any of this," he taunted. "Knowing you'll have to remember everything while I get to be free of you is the best gift I could have ever asked for."

Hermione's grip on her wand faltered, but he felt her magic push its way in. Only, his brow furrowed as he realized what he felt was more akin to Legilimency than anything else.

_Run._

The warning came a split second before she whirled around on Riddle. Her magic snapped and sizzled in the air around them as she forced him to his knees before her. "Go, Draco! The door!"

He scrambled back, shoving the first door open with a bang. His heart thundered in his chest as he reached for the second handle. It was his nagging inner voice, the one that he suspected would always sound like Granger, that made him pull away and look back at her and Riddle. He hated that she had gotten so under his skin that he would call upon her Gryffindor bravery in favor of his Slytherin self-preservation in a moment such as this one.

Without a second thought, he ran back to her, brandishing his wand at Riddle. It caused just enough of a distraction from their wandless duel for Draco to grab her hand and pull her towards the door. Much like the night this all started, he yanked her closer and shoved her through the first door. It slammed shut behind them, surrounding them in darkness and preventing Riddle's burst of green light from landing on either of them.

With less than a second to breathe, he reached beside her hip where he had her pinned to the inner door and turned the handle. They both gave a yelp of surprise as it gave way and the door opened, sending them tumbling to the floor beyond it.


	55. Chapter 55

**FIFTY-FIVE**

_**Friday, 1 May 1998**_

Hermione cried out as her head bounced off the ground one second and Draco crash landed on top of her the next. Her body bowed up as his knee found her ribs and he grunted from above her when his forehead connected with hers.

"Harry! Harry are you-"

Hermione froze.

Was…Was that _Ron_?

Draco's cheek pressed against hers as they panted to catch their breath. "You okay?" he asked.

She didn't trust her voice, but she nodded.

"Oi! Get off her!"

Draco flattened himself on top of her as the first spell flew right over his back. In the next instant, he was rolling off of Hermione and the pair scrambled to their feet. It took a moment for her vision to clear, but when it did, sure enough, Ronald Weasley was running over to her side. His arm was raised, wand in hand, pointing it directly at Draco.

"Ron?"

"I'll kill you, Death Eater scum!"

Hermione moved back, throwing herself between Ron and Draco. Ron skid to a halt and stared at her with wide eyes. "Mione, what-"

"Ron? Hermione?"

They both looked behind Ron to where Harry was slumped against a partially destroyed wall. She felt Draco begin to move and whirled around to grab his wrist, her eyes wide in fear. "No, don't-"

"Don't do anything stupid, Granger," he said, detaching himself from her hold and taking off down the crumbling corridor.

Hermione watched until he was out of sight before turning back to find Ron staring at her with a scowl on his face. She said nothing as she took off and ran for Harry. "Nagini," he said, looking up at them. "She's the last one. We kill her and then I can take out Voldemort."

Hermione knelt before Harry, partially because her legs were already threatening to give out. "Use the connection, Harry. Find out where he is and we'll all go. Together." She reached out and laid one hand over his, squeezing to show support, while her other hand lifted to seek one of Ron's. She allowed herself a second to be overjoyed at seeing them again; to feel triumph that she had found a way back to them. But once that moment was over, she forced the emotions aside. She could sort everything out later.

"The boathouse," Harry said after a moment, letting go of her hand to push himself to his feet. "They were there with Lucius Malfoy. He was sent to bring Snape to Voldemort."

"Let's go," Ron said, reaching for Hermione's other hand to help her to her feet.

Unable to resist, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him so tight he began to choke from her hold. Tears slid down her face as he returned her hold. He lost his balance when she withdrew quickly only to do the same to Harry. "You okay, Hermione?" Harry asked as she pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"I don't ever want to fly a broom again," she said.

The two of them cracked a grin at her and then they were off.

* * *

It was frightening, how Hermione was able to switch her brain back to survival mode. As she ran beside Harry and Ron, firing spell after spell at Death Eater's and all other assortments of Voldemort supporters, it was easy to forget that she had just spent four months living in the past. There was only brief moment where her thoughts jarred as she realized she had left behind an enraged Tom Riddle.

It was that momentary hesitation that allowed the Death Eater to land their spell. She was able to mostly jump out of the way, but the red light hit her left foot and sent her staggering to the ground. A strangled cry left her throat as she went down, but she barely had time to process the Death Eater's closing in as she heard someone shout, _"Bombarda_ _Maxima_!" at the top of their lungs. An explosion went off near her, but with the injury to her foot, she wasn't able to move completely out of the way.

She ducked her head and threw her arms up, but right as the stones should have hit, she felt nothing. She heard them crashing to the ground, could feel them hit the floor around her. She did a double-take when she looked up to see Draco standing in front of her. His shield charm was surrounding them both in a blue-white shimmering bubble. The stone turned to dust as it hit and blew away in the wind.

"Thank you," she breathed as he released the spell and turned to face her.

A scream rent the air and they both looked up to see Ginny get struck with a spell and was sent flying backwards. Hermione's lips parted in awe as he didn't even hesitate to cast a cushioning charm to keep Ginny from smashing into the wall. "Go," she hissed, shooing him off, but he was already running towards her friend, firing curse after curse at the oncoming Death Eaters.

Hermione turned her wand to her foot. _Epiksky_. After a moment of feeling the flesh knit back together, she was on her feet, hurrying towards the pair. She fell in step with Draco, the two of them moving in tandem to clear the area. When it was safe, she helped Ginny up. Despite the softer landing, there was still a large gash on her temple and she could see she was having trouble focusing.

"Go find Potter," Draco said. "I've got Weaselette."

Ginny's lids fluttered as she threw a questioning glance at Hermione before reaching behind her to support herself on the wall. Hermione gave a curt nod and received one in return before Ginny let Draco take hold of her arm and lead her through the battle. When they were out of sight, Hermione scanned the crowd for Harry and Ron, but they were nowhere in sight.

Wherever they were, she hoped that they had just gone on without her. That they hadn't wasted time in waiting for her to join back up with them. Every second counted and she knew Voldemort wouldn't stay in the boathouse for long. She swallowed hard as she hoped that it wasn't the last time she saw them either. Not when she had just found her way back to them.

Pushing that fear aside, she squared her shoulders and threw herself into the fight once more.

* * *

It wouldn't matter how many holes had been blasted into the side of the castle, Draco would never be able to rid the stench of smoke, blood, and burning flesh from his nostrils. He had gotten Ginny to a corner where he could do a patch job on her wound; just enough so she wouldn't bleed out. After that, a werewolf had launched himself at them and in the fight, they had gotten separated.

Draco pushed on, trying his best not to fling anything more than a Stupefy at members of the Order. He wasn't interested in maintaining his Death Eater status, but he sure as hell didn't want to get killed either. If someone threw a spell at him, he sent one back. Simple.

As the battle continued, Draco found it harder to keep going. His core was burning out and his body was exhausted. He had been hit with one too many spells, physical blows, and debris to keep going at the rate he was. Whenever he could, he would duck into a corner or anything with a door and catch his breath. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Hermione about to be crushed. As much as he loathed her for what she had done, he didn't want to see her dead.

And just as he stepped out of a corridor to continue fighting, if not for at least to get away from the battle, he came face-to-face with his aunt. He froze as she cackled with glee at the sight of him. Her smile turned into a frown rather quickly when she saw his arm stretched out, wand trained on her.

She raised her own wand at him, hers completely steady in comparison to his. "You dare raise your wand on me? Your blood?" She clucked her teeth at him. "It's the Malfoy in you. Nothing but cowards in that line," she said, spitting on the ground in distaste. "Lower your wand, Draco. Lower it now and I'll forgive you," she said, stepping towards him.

"No."

All he could see was his aunt above Hermione; her screams echoing in the space between his ears. "Have it your way then. Your mother should have married better." As the tip of her wand began to glow green, she stopped and looked up.

Draco did the same as Voldemort's voice rang out through the castle. He couldn't tell if it was in his head or if he was using some sort of boosting charm, but either way, it caused a splitting headache. Draco lifted his hands to his ears. When he pulled his fingers back, they were wet with blood.

_"I am disappointed in you, Harry Potter. Instead of coming to face me directly, you have allowed innocent people to die on your behalf. There has been enough magical blood spilled this night. I will give you a chance to make it right. Regroup. Tend to your wounded. Dispose of your dead with dignity. To my devoted followers, retreat. To Harry Potter, if you do not come to me by midnight in the Forbidden Forrest, I will kill every man, woman, and child who stands in my way to you."_

When Voldemort finished speaking, his aunt gave him one last scowl before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

* * *

Hermione pitched forward, crying out in pain as a sharp piece of stone bit into her palm. Voldemort's voice had barely subsided before she felt that familiar warmth of Riddle's presence trying to work its way into her mind. She resisted for all of two seconds before he forced his way inside. He was stronger than he had been before; her walls practically crumbled immediately.

_I will find you. Once I have killed Harry Potter, I will find you and I will make you beg for death._

_He'll never go to you,_ she said, her hands curling against the floor.

_He will. You taught me that. He would do whatever it takes to protect those he cares for. Until we meet again, Hermione_.

When he withdrew, Hermione's body relaxed and she retched.

With nothing left in her stomach to expel, Hermione rolled onto her back, not caring how close she lay to her own sick. She stared at the ceiling as she took in the eerie calm as the sound of battle disappeared from the moment of peace Voldemort had ordered. She waited for the world to orient itself; for everything to make sense.

"Hermione?"

She blinked a few times before she registered that the ceiling had been replaced with the sight of Neville. She heard other voices and then felt someone lift her into a sitting position. Someone shook her shoulders and lightly pat at her cheeks. It wasn't until someone poured a vial of something down her throat that the shock disappeared like a punch to the gut and she gasped back to reality.

It took her a moment to realize that she was in the Great Hall. That the people laying down in the center of the room weren't moving. Neville was there again, blocking her view, shaking her shoulders. "Hermione?"

"Out of the way, Longbottom."

Neville was soon replaced with McGonagall, a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Miss Granger, if you're not gravely injured, I could use your help tending the wounded."

Hermione shook herself out of her daze and nodded, getting to her feet. There would be time to process the fact that Remus and Tonks were lying side-by-side before her. That the all the Weasley's, save for Ron, were standing over a body on the ground, sobbing loudly. She couldn't see who it was, but she looked away.

"Start over there," McGonagall said, pointing to the left, opposite Madam Pomfrey.

She went down the line of people, assessing wounds ranging from the smallest of cuts to near deadly gashes that she could only slow down a little. Potions were limited and nearly gone so she had to dole them out sparingly. She refused to even try using the Grey magic. She couldn't risk exhausting her core any further.

She felt it when Harry and Ron returned. It seemed as though all eyes had turned to them, hers included. She watched as Ron ran to his family and he heard him screaming Fred's name. She finished healing a cut before getting to her feet and going to Harry. He stared down at the last Marauder who's hand was still reaching for his wife's even in death.

She wrapped her arms around Harry and he leaned on her for support. When he started to pull out of her grasp, she clutched at his shirt. "No, Harry, you can't-"

"Hermione, I have to do something," he said, detaching himself and then nodding towards the Weasley's. "He needs you."

She could only nod at him and waited until he walked back out of the Great Hall before moving towards the Weasley's. She stared down at Fred's body with vision blurred with tears. Ginny clung to her, hot tears spilling onto Hermione's shoulder. When Ginny stepped away from her to go to her mother's side, Hermione looked up and did a double-take at the sight of Draco.

He was standing in the corner on the far side of the room, clutching his side. He was far paler than usual and she could see the pain on his face. Panic surged through her and propelled her forward. She reached him just as he collapsed and then knelt in front of him. With shaky hands, she lifted his shirt and whined at the wound on his abdomen.

"Draco-"

"I'm fine. Go fix someone else."

"You'll die!"

His snort was half grunt as he tried to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. "No one in here would care."

"I would."

Draco's gaze clashed with hers for a brief second before he turned away and exhaled a shaky breath. "Fine. If it'll get you out of my sight faster, patch me up, Granger."

She ignored the bitter tone and the way the guilt twisted at her heart. He coughed into his hand and then hissed as she placed her right hand directly over the wound. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing everything to the background so she could concentrate.

"What are you-"

"Shut up," she demanded, waving her other hand at him to cut him off. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and when she found the Grey magic within, she pulled it to the surface and sent it to her hand. Once it was there, she pushed it forward. She felt it trickle from her with a slight hum beneath her fingers. Slowly, Draco's blood began to stop flowing freely and the damage began to knit itself back together.

When she pulled her hand back, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. He was staring at her in awe and horror. "What did- Hermione!" he shouted.

The room spun when he began to speak and where there had been one Draco, more had appeared; too many to count, and she felt herself sinking backwards. As he shouted her name, he reached out and caught her before she hit the ground. He pulled her into his lap as best he could and leaned over her. She could feel his fingers on her cheek and hear the anguish in his voice as he spoke. "What did you do? Granger? Hermione, come on. Wake up!" he demanded in frantic whispers.

"What did you do to her, Malfoy?"

Ron's shout was just as distant as it was close. She took a deep breath and whimpered as she felt herself being lifted. She opened her eyes and focused on Ron's face as he held her against his chest. She was surprised to find that her feet were on the ground and supporting her. Or was it his arm around her back that was keeping her up?

"I didn't do anything, Weasley!" Draco snarled.

She turned her head and saw him stand from the corner of her eye. "Ron, I helped him."

"You're done helping him," he said, tugging her away. "Sod off, Malfoy."

Hermione was able to get one good look at Draco before people passed in front of her and she lost sight of him. When she stopped moving, she found herself surrounded by the Weasley's. They hugged her and gave her water and something to eat. She forced herself to look at Fred, but found herself all cried out. She promised to cry for him later.

When the sobs subdued, Ron was made the suggestion of getting some air. She nodded and followed him on weakly through the Great Hall. She briefly spotted Draco wrapping a First or Second Year's hand in a bandage and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't dwell on it for too long as she soon found herself sitting on the destroyed steps of the main staircase, her head on Ron's shoulder.

"Why did you help that git, Mione?'

"He's not the enemy, Ron," she replied.

"Not the enemy?" he asked, his voice full of anger. "He's a fucking Death Eater? How does not make him an enemy?"

She sighed, too tired and worn out to argue. She lifted her head and stared at him. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, but-"

"No buts, Ron."

He huffed and his shoulder's jerked noncommittally.

"He might not be fully reformed, but he's not one of them. Not anymore."

"Hermione-"

"Let it be, Ron!" she hissed, getting to her feet. "If you trust me, that should be enough! I shouldn't have to explain every little detail-" She stopped short at the sight of Harry coming towards them from a corridor. She ran to him, throwing her arms around him yet again. "I thought you left," she sobbed.

"Not yet," he said, holding her back. "But I'm going there now."

She tightened her hold and her resolve broke. "Harry, you can't- Please."

"I have to, Hermione," he said, shrugging out of her grasp. "Snape gave me his memories before he died. Dumbledore knew it would come to this. He used Snape's death to give me one final message."

"What did he say?" Ron asked, coming to stand beside Hermione.

Harry gave Hermione a look that confirmed her worst fears and had her sobbing anew. She had suspected for a long time that Harry was a Horcrux; one that Voldemort never meant to make. She continued to cry as he relayed the message to her and Ron; telling them to kill the snake. That once she was out of the way, it really didn't matter who killed Voldemort.

"You're sure Nagini's the last Horcrux?" Ron asked.

Hermione's hand came up to touch the sapphire at her throat. It was her Horcrux, technically. But it did contain a piece of Riddle's soul. Indecision on whether or not she should say something weighed down on her, adding to her guilt. If she destroyed it, she would be destroying a piece of herself. She didn't even know if it really was a Horcrux since it had been made of Grey magic instead of Dark.

Hermione closed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. Not for the first time that night, she wondered if she had made the right choice by keeping her silence. She and Ron stood side-by-side as they watched Harry descend the stairs and take his leave of the castle without a backwards glance at either of them. The moment he was out of sight, Hermione knew she would regret her decision.

* * *

_**Saturday, 2 May 1998**_

Minutes trickled into hours and somehow in the dead of the night, Hermione had fallen asleep. The sun's early morning rays peaking through the missing chunks of the castle walls woke her by nearly blinding her. It took her several minutes to realize that she wasn't in the Room of Requirement curled up to Draco. She wasn't even on the Astronomy Tower with Riddle. No, she was stretched out on the floor of the Great Hall sandwiched between Ron and Ginny.

She sat up quickly and took a deep breath to combat the vertigo. When she opened her eyes and looked around, images of the battle from the night before replayed in her mind, catching her back up to speed. Needing a moment, she got up and slipped out of the Hall in search of somewhere to relieve the sting in her bladder. Luckily, the bathroom nearby still had a few stalls intact.

When she emerged, Draco was standing outside, resting against the opposite wall. "How's your wound?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"It's fine."

She gave a little nod. "Are you-"

"What deal was Riddle talking about, Hermione?"

She froze, her lips still parted with the rest of the sentence he cut her off from. "It doesn't matter now."

"You were going to Obliviate me!"

"No I wasn't!" she snapped. "I would never do that!" She took a step forward, hands balled into fists at her side. "And if I was, I recall that you were more than happy to be rid of any memory of me."

"Can you blame me? Why would I want to remember anything about you? So I can spend my time wondering if every time you kissed me, you were thinking of him?" He took a step forward too, pushing his face right into hers. "How many times did you sleep with him right before you crawled into my bed?"

She winced and cast her eyes down, stepping away from him.

"And all this time I thought it was your blood that made you dirty," he snapped. He turned on his heel to storm out just as Ron was coming out of the Great Hall. Draco stopped and snorted at her friend. "I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of her mouth, Weaselbee. She's spent far too much time charming snakes recently." He shouldered Ron as he passed, leaving him to gape at her in confusion.

"The two of you were out of our sight for less than a minute, Mione. What the hell happened?"

"Nothing, Ron. Leave it alone," she begged.

But as she began to move, she found herself stopping at the sound of Neville's voice calling everyone into the courtyard. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw a massive group walking towards them on the bridge. Ron grabbed her hand and pulled her along the way, stopping near Neville. Slowly, everyone that could move trickled out to join them as Voldemort and the remainder of his followers came to face them in the courtyard.

"Who's that Hagrid's carrying?" Ginny asked. "Neville, who-"

"It's Harry," Neville whispered.

"NO!"

Ginny surged forward, but her father caught her around the waist and kept her from certain death. Hermione felt the ground start to disappear beneath her feet, but Ron looped an arm around her to support her.

"Harry Potter is dead!"

Voldemort's voice cut through her like a knife. He looked and sounded nothing like the Riddle she had come to know over the last four months, but when his gaze landed on her, there was a certain familiarity that turned her blood to ice as her body went rigid with fear.

_I told you this is how it would play out. It would seem you put your faith in the wrong leader._

Hermione clutched at Ron in effort to stay upright as Riddle's voice sounded in her head.

"Now would be the time for all of those who do not wish to die a painful death to speak up. Step forward. Swear your allegiance to me and I will spare your life. Everyone has a place in my world," he said, his eyes landing on Hermione.

Hermione felt his presence slip into her mind and tug. Had it not been for Ron's arms around her, she would have fallen to her knees or taken a step forward. "No," she breathed.

_You swore an oath to surrender_. His voice was loud in her mind. Echoing off the walls of her mental library. _The time is here_. Books rattled on their shelves and her knees buckled. _Anything I wanted, remember?_

"Draco."

Hermione sagged in Ron's arms and he nearly dropped her as Lucius' voice sounded through the otherwise silent air. He raised his hand towards the crowd and beckoned his son forward. "Draco," Narcissa echoed.

Hermione turned as best she could to her left and spotted Draco next to Luna. His eyes skimmed the crowd and connected with hers. After a moment, he looked away and stepped forward.

* * *

Draco heard a few gasps and muted whispers as he moved towards his parents. Regardless of his distaste for being under Riddle's regime, they were still his parents. He went for his mother. His father had burned one too many bridges for him to care. And he had seen the way Hermine had nearly bowed when Voldemort asked for people to switch sides.

With each step he felt the knots in his stomach tighten. He had intended to skirt around the Dark Lord, but he stepped into his path and put his arms about his shoulder. "Well done, Draco," he said for the masses to hear. Then he leaned in then so that his next words were just between them. "I told you she would be mine someday."

Draco flinched back in surprise, but the Dark Lord had already stepped off to the side, allowing him to finally rejoin his parents. His father touched his shoulder and his mother wrapped her arms about him. "I love you, Draco," she whispered into his hair over and over again.

He heard it in Hermione's voice and it kept him from saying it back to her.

The Dark Lord laughed and he turned to see that Longbottom had stepped forward. A few other Death Eaters had joined in with their own chuckles. "I should say, I had hoped for better," Voldemort said. "But I suppose you will do. You are?"

"Neville Longbottom."

More laughter. "Your parents must be proud to know that you would turn over to me when they are-"

"I don't want to join you," Longbottom said. He turned back to the others. "We don't need Harry to win this. He put up a good fight. We shouldn't let his death be in vain."

He continued his speech; the little rally of the troops for one last hurrah, but Draco tuned him out as a bit of movement caught his eye. It was small, but it was there. He was sure of it. He narrowed his eyes and then stilled as he saw Potter looking back at him. It wasn't the cold, blank stare of lifeless eyes.

Harry Potter was alive.

Everything happened in slow motion. Longbottom gave a battle cry as he pulled a sword from the Sorting Hat in his hands at the same time Potter rolled out of Hagrid's arms. In the span of heartbeat, Draco made up his mind and snatched his wand out of his robes before he tore himself away from his parents. "Potter!" he shouted and tossed his wand.

Potter caught it and chaos erupted as he fired a spell at Nagini. He ran, weaving around places to prevent Voldemort's curses from landing as he fired them one after the other at Potter. Draco ran back towards the castle, catching Hermione as she stumbled from catching her foot on toppled stone.

"Here, take this," she said, handing him her wand.

"I-"

"I don't need it," she rushed on, gripping onto him as he pulled her up onto her feet.

"Whatever it was, don't do it," he said, clearly catching her off guard.

"I have to," she whispered, knowing full well what he was referring to. "You don't understand-"

He stopped, turning himself to look her straight in the eye. "Whatever it was he offered you, it isn't worth it, Hermione."

Her lips parted to argue, but a spell landed between the two of them, causing them to separate and Draco picked himself up and hurled himself back into the fray with Hermione's wand in hand.

* * *

While the fight between Harry and Voldemort continued outside in the courtyard, some of the battle moved back into the castle. Hermione finally caught up to Ron and they quickly formulated a plan to use their last remaining Basilisk fang to take out Nagini. Their secondary plan should something happen was to get the sword from Neville and borrow it just for that.

Hermione threw rocks as Ron cast spell after spell to get the snake's attention. She was glad that Voldemort was too preoccupied with Harry to notice. Once Nagini took to their bait, she slithered towards them. Hermione used herself as a distraction, throwing up a shield charm that barely rose in time while Ron tried to strike from the back, but Nagini was too quick.

She was far too weak to use her Grey magic for much and she had given her wand to Draco since he had given his to Harry. As she collided with Ron while Nagini continued to lunge at them, she thought that she was glad everyone had seen Draco do it. That way, no matter what the outcome, no one would question where his loyalty lie, even if he refused to pick a side himself.

Ron held her tight as they stumbled and landed on a pile of debris. She curled into him thinking it was over for them, but just before Nagini could sink her fangs into them, a _clang_ sounded and Hermione opened her eyes to see Neville cleave Nagini's head from her body with the Sword of Gryffindor. The pieces of the snake fell to the ground, shriveled, and disappeared.

A horrid scream she recognized as Riddle's tore through the air, making everyone flinch. She and Ron got to their feet with Neville's help and looked over to see Harry and Voldemort both staring at one another, panting with exertion. She held her breath for a second and then found herself running towards them just as they fired a spell at one another at the same time.

Green light met red in an arch between them.

For just a moment, Voldemort's eyes widened with a flash of fear at being outdone by the likes of Harry Potter. Hermione felt a pull at her necklace and it tripped her, sending her sprawling to her knees. She knew the moment Riddle felt the surge of power from his soul housed around her neck. Hermione screamed as she tried to push with all of her might to wrap Harry in her magic, but it was too late.

Green overpowered red in the blink of an eye.

Harry's wand clattered to the ground a moment before his body, his green eyes dull as his life ended.

Complete silence washed over the courtyard for what felt like hours before Voldemort's dark laughter took over. Hermione crawled the distance to Harry, ignoring the way the sharp debris cut into her skin as she went. She placed her hands on his chest, but no matter how hard she tried, her magic refused to obey.

"I have waited fifty-three years for this moment," she heard Voldemort hiss a moment before she felt herself being lifted. It was his magic that kept her hovering an inch above the ground, drawing her over the space of the courtyard until he set her down before him. He grasped her chin and smiled coldly, his eyes red and slit like a snake. There was nothing left of the Riddle she had come to know.

He let go of her chin and held his hand out for her. Despite the damage done to his body from so much Dark magic since she had seen him last, she could still see the cut on his palm from where she had sliced him open. Where she had placed her matching wound to mix their blood together.

"The time has truly come now. You are too weak to save him." He raised his hand higher, impatience clear on his face. "Maybe one day I can forgive you for abandoning me, but if you do not honor your end of the bargain and surrender now, I never will."

Hermione's head jerked in response before she slowly lifted her trembling hand and placed it in his.

He grinned then and looked up to those still stunned to silence. "Harry Potter is truly dead now!" he shouted. "And his Mudblood has agreed to join me! This is your last chance. Those of you that would-"

"No! You get your hands off of her!" Ron shouted as he came barreling down the courtyard to them, wand raised and at the ready. "I won't let you take her. _Avada Kedavra!_"

It was meant for Voldemort. Everyone with eyes knew that.

But to save himself, he pulled Hermione into the path of the killing curse. Her Grey magic roared to life as her will to live kicked into overdrive when confronted with certain death. The spell bounced off of her shield and landed on the first thing it came in contact with.

Ron.

When Hermione realized what happened, the world seemed to stop. The ground rose up to meet her. Her sobs stuck in her throat as she watched through blurred vision as Ron's lifeless body slumped to the ground, his lips still parted in surprise to see his own spell coming back to hit him. To see that it was his best friend; someone he loved, that had sent it back.

Harry Potter.

Dead.

Her fault.

She had kept the fact that Voldemort had one last Horcrux from him. That there was still one piece of his soul left for him to draw power from. That it was wrapped around her neck and mixed with a piece of her own soul.

Ronald Weasley.

Dead.

Her fault.

Because she had been too selfish to let herself die. She deserved to be dead. She shouldn't have protected herself. By doing so she had killed him.

She closed her eyes and cried out for both of them, begging for them to forgive her and hoping they heard her in the afterlife. She continued until her voice gave out, until her body refused to obey any command. Hermione barely registered that Voldemort had given one last order. To kill them all. The sound of the battle resuming was distant as she felt herself being lifted from the ground once more.

She opened her eyes as best she could to see that Voldemort was carrying her away from the courtyard. The battle waged on in the background, but all she could see was the lifeless bodies of Harry and Ron, their eyes open and staring at her with betrayal.

"I told you that I would kill Harry Potter," Voldemort said, his voice a dangerous purr. "Just as I said I would make you kill Ronald Weasley." He hummed in approval. "It would seem you are already off to a good start on getting me to forgive you. Let us see what else you can do."

The last thing she saw were Harry and Ron still staring back at her as Voldemort Apparated them away with a loud _crack_.

* * *

**A/N: Some of the dialogue was directly stolen from the movies. I couldn't have done this without my amazing Alpha: honeysweetcutie**

**The sequel to this is Uncharted.**

**Thank you to all who puts this on their favorite/follow list and all who read/reviewed. Every notification I get brightens my day more and more!**


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